Iran has warned nearby countries that it may treat them as enemies and target their interests if they join a United States campaign aimed at crippling the Iranian economy. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued the warning in a Saturday interview with state broadcaster IRIB.
The warning followed US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Wednesday of what he called the “most crushing economic operation” yet against Iran. Trump also threatened “tremendous economic consequences” for any country that gives Iran “any type of lifeline.”
What Iran said it would do
Rezaei described Iran’s response as a three-stage process. Tehran would first negotiate with neighbouring countries, then try to separate them from the United States through conciliatory language because Iran was not seeking to expand the war, he said.
Countries that continued to side with the US would be given time to reconsider. “But in the third stage, we will definitely act,” Rezaei said. He also warned that Iran could target alternative oil-shipping routes out of the Gulf if regional states took part in the US economic campaign.
Related coverage: Iran weighs economic survival as Washington threatens harsher sanctions.
How the confrontation reached this point
The US and Israel have been at war with Iran since February 28, when the two allies launched an initial volley of attacks against Tehran. The US has continued military operations while also increasing economic pressure.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed Trump’s warning the following day, saying, “You’re either with us or against us.” Rezaei said Washington appeared to hope that economic pressure would fracture Iranian society and force the conflict to end.
The unresolved dispute over regional trade
Negotiations to end the conflict have stalled in recent months after a June 17 memorandum of understanding failed. The document called for an “immediate and permanent termination of military operations.”
More context: What ship traffic reveals about control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Control of the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping lane off Iran’s coast, remains a central dispute. Iran moved to shut traffic through the strait early in the war, sending prices for oil and fertiliser sharply higher, while Middle Eastern countries that had relied on the route began pursuing substitute trade routes.
Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry separately criticised the incoming US measures as an assertion of “extraterritorial sovereignty” over United Nations member states. The source report also said Tehran had reportedly considered expanding its targets to US allies in Europe that supported Trump’s operations.
Also read: Trump says no Iran talks are planned amid Hormuz standoff.
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