Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended strikes on Iran's infrastructure since the U.S. and Israel began their joint war against the country, saying on NBC News' "Meet the Press" that "sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate."

His comments came just hours after President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was giving Iranian leadership 48 hours to open the Strait of Hormuz or risk U.S. military strikes that "will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!"

Bessent defended the president's rhetoric, saying it's "the only language the Iranians understand."