Tehran issued a direct warning to third countries, a few hours before Washington presented the most ambitious economic pressure package it has announced against Iran.
The secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei , said speaking on state television IRIB that any state that participates in imposing economic restrictions on its country is considered an enemy , calling on the international community not to join what he described as the United States’ economic war.
The Iranian official also described the series of actions that Tehran intends to follow.
According to what was reported by the Xinhua news agency , Iran will first seek negotiation with these countries, asking them to stay out of the conflict; if they refuse to distance themselves from Washington, their interests will be harmed.
He issued a special warning to the Gulf states , noting that if the neighbors join the American siege, Iran will not allow even a drop of oil to be exported from the Strait of Hormuz .
He was even more specific about the targets. Rezaei argued that his country still has the cards, emphasizing that so far it has not hit American economic interests but only military bases. But if the new sanctions are imposed, he warned, American oil and financial companies operating around Iran and elsewhere will be targeted, while he described the conflict that would follow as an “earthquake.” He also reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Washington fulfills its commitments from the June memorandum, adding that this time the first move belongs to the American side.
Rezaei is new to the position. A former head of the Revolutionary Guards and for years a top military adviser, he was only placed at the top of the National Security Council earlier this month, in a broader reshuffle of the military leadership by the new Supreme Leader , Mojtaba Khamenei .
Analysts classify him as part of the hard-line wing of the body, which believes that concessions from Washington only come through constant pressure. He has been on the US Treasury Department’s sanctions list since January 2020.
The statements come amid a week of escalation. Donald Trump announced on Wednesday via Truth Social what he called an “Economic Landing,” the most severe economic operation ever undertaken against a country, calling on allies to join the US in isolating Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant spoke of “the toughest sanctions in history” and an unprecedented coordinated economic isolation, announcing secondary sanctions not only on companies but also on countries that continue to buy Iranian oil or move capital.
The message to the allies was ultimatum: either with the US or against it. He also stated that the goal is the collapse of the regime , while hinting that the maximum economic pressure makes a new large-scale military operation less likely.
The context is a war that is approaching six months old. The conflict began in late February with American and Israeli strikes and has entered a tense stalemate: the two sides are not exchanging fire, but neither are they negotiating. The 60-day memorandum to end the war expired a few days ago , the American naval blockade remains in force , and oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has shrunk dramatically.
The initial reactions show how difficult the undertaking will be. The United Arab Emirates suspended all commercial and financial transactions with Tehran, but Beijing —which absorbs the vast majority of Iranian crude exports—rejected the logic of pressure and called for a diplomatic solution. Bessed himself, when asked whether China would be targeted, avoided answering directly, recalling that half of China’s energy needs are covered by the Gulf.
Inside Iran, the line is not entirely unified. President Masoud Pesekian said on Friday that it was preferable to end the war now, while the country is in a position of strength. Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf , speaking in Baghdad, interpreted Washington’s shift to economic measures as an admission of inability to prevail militarily, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the American campaign economic terrorism. The head of the armed forces, General Ali Abdullah Salehi , warned of overwhelming responses to any new threat.
Monday, with the Bessed press conference, is expected to show whether the package actually includes sanctions on third countries — and, by extension, whether Rezai’s warning will be tested in practice.
