US Secretary Bessent Delivers Remarks Before the Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism

16 July 2026 As prepared for delivery.

Good morning.

Thank you, Secretary Rubio, for convening this ministerial and for the invitation to be here.

We are here together because the resurgence of political terrorism, transnational in design and far-left in doctrine, is no longer the concern of any one nation.

It demands a response that draws upon the distinct and combined strengths of every government represented here today.

Ours begins where every campaign of terror does: its financial lifeblood.

And at President Trump s direction, the United States Treasury is bringing the full weight of our authorities to defend the integrity of the U.S. and global financial systems.

More than twenty years ago, in the wake of 9/11, Treasury became the first finance ministry in the world to establish an office dedicated to disrupting the funding networks of terrorist organisations.

Treasury s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, referred to as TFI, was created in recognition of the reality that America s financial system is essential to its national security.

TFI s mandate to identify, disrupt, and disable illicit foreign funds that threaten our homeland has become one of the Treasury s defining responsibilities.

And today, we are extending that abiding mission to meet an evolving threat.

The resurgence of organised political terrorism has long occupied a blind spot.

The international community has struggled to identify this danger, much less to defeat it.

But as the threat of terrorism evolves, the institutions and tools that defend against it must adapt.

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