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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the Trump administration’s deal with Iran on Wednesday, saying that lifting sanctions to allow Tehran to earn billions of dollars in oil revenue in order to restore the status quo ante was a smart move.

“We had maximum pressure, then we had Epic Fury, then we had Economic Fury, and then we had the blockade. And that’s how we got the Iranians to the negotiating table,” Bessent said in an interview with CNBC. (The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action also got Iran to the table but with verifiable limits on the country’s nuclear program.)

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the Trump administration’s deal with Iran on Wednesday, saying that lifting sanctions to allow Tehran to earn billions of dollars in oil revenue in order to restore the status quo ante was a smart move.

“We had maximum pressure, then we had Epic Fury, then we had Economic Fury, and then we had the blockade. And that’s how we got the Iranians........

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