U.S. to use economic tactics on Iran `that have never been seen'; Navy works to relieve troubled carrier Abraham Lincoln

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaking with CNBC on Aug. 4th, 2026.CNBCThe U.S. will be applying economic measures "that have never been seen on Iran," according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent."It will be a combination of economic isolation like ‌the world has ​never seen before, ​and ​the continued blockade in ‌the Strait of ​Hormuz that will ​keep anything from going in or out of ​the ‌Iranian ports," Bessent said in an interview with Newsmax, without elaborating further.His statements come as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly said late Thursday stateside that the U.S. military can keep a naval blockade of Iran going "indefinitely." The Navy will rotate ships in and out "as we have, and we'll continue to," Hegseth told reporters.Media reports have said that the U.S. aircraft carrier USS George Washington was headed to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for over 250 days in the Middle East. Its deployment had been expected to end in May. The George Washington strike group departed Vietnam on Aug. 12, the Navy said in a statement. Hegseth also told reporters that reports about poor conditions aboard the Lincoln, including food shortages, d...