News Bessent downplays Iran attacks: ‘The region is not on fire’ by Sarah Davis - 03/04/26 11:31 AM ET by Sarah Davis - 03/04/26 11:31 AM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email NOW PLAYING Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined others in the Trump administration in decrying “fantastical media accounts” about Iranian counterstrikes on Wednesday morning.  “The region is not on fire,” Bessent told CNBC.  The secretary was responding to a question about the stabilization of the Israeli dollar following joint strikes from the country and the U.S. on Iran last Saturday.  The strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and the regime responded with counterstrikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East. Six U.S. servicemembers were killed during an Iranian drone attack in Kuwait on Sunday.   Despite Iran’s military response, Bessent maintained on Wednesday that the country’s “attack capabilities have been substantially degraded.” “The U.S. is getting stronger and stronger every day, and the most fulsome part of our campaign is just starting so that there are people in the market willing to look through this, and that’s what I think everyone should do,” Bessent said.  His words echo similar criticism from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who accused the press on Wednesday of highlighting these U.S. service members’ deaths to “make the president look bad.” “This is what the fake news misses. We’ve taken control of Iran’s airspace and waterways without boots on the ground. We control their fate. But when a few drones get through or tragic things happen it’s front page news,” Hegseth said at the Pentagon. “I get it, the press only wants to make the president look bad, but try for once to report the reality.”  Capt. Cody A. Khork, Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor and Sgt. Declan J. Coady were killed after an Iranian drone struck their tactical operations center at Shuaiba Port. Two other service members whose names have not been released also died in the attack.  Bessent expressed his confidence in the future of the Iran operation, saying “President Trump has a vision here” and citing recent regime changes in Syria and Venezuela.  “Most importantly, the Iranian regime was the head of the snake for global terror, and we are going to cut off that head and Iran will no longer be able to project terrorism around the world,” he said.  Add as preferred source on Google Tags Ali Khamenei Pete Hegseth Scott Bessent Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email More News News See All Administration Noem defends living on base in Coast Guard housing by Rebecca Beitsch 23 minutes ago Administration  /  23 minutes ago