US may ‘escalate to de-escalate’ against Iran: Treasury chief

(AFP/Al Arabiya) The United States may need to “escalate” its attacks against Iran to be able to wind down the war, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday, after President Donald Trump gave seemingly contradictory trajectories for the US military campaign. Trump on Saturday threatened to “obliterate” Iranian energy plants if Tehran did not fully open the pivotal Strait of Hormuz, just a day after saying US objectives were “very close” and that he was considering “winding down” the war. Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” if Trump was winding down or escalating the war, Bessent said: “They’re not mutually exclusive. Sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate.” – US may ‘escalate to de-escalate’ against Iran: Treasury chief