Scotiabank rules out military path on Iran, points to economic pressure under Bessent

Economic pressure on Iran is where Scotiabank's analysis comes down. The bank released a report examining the economic policies Scott Bessent could bring to Tehran, concluding that military intervention is not a viable path to victory and outlining the potential for increased economic pressure as the more consequential instrument.

The analysis separates two categories of coercive tool and assigns weight to one. Force, Scotiabank concluded, does not get the job done. Economic pressure, the bank argued, carries the potential where military action does not.

The report is prospective: it addresses what a Bessent approach could look like, not policies already in motion. Scotiabank's viability judgment leaves increased economic pressure as the operative path.