The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, has warned neighboring countries that if they join the United States’ economic war against Tehran, they will be considered enemies and attacked if they persist. “We tell all neighboring countries not to enter the economic war against Iran. Anyone who does, we will consider an enemy,” Rezaei warned in an interview on the Iranian state channel IRIB on Saturday night.
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These statements come after U.S. President Donald Trump announced midweek the launch of an “economic operation” against Iran, an initiative he presented as a process of “unprecedented scale isolation” and for which he urged his allies to provide support. “If the countries surrounding Iran join the United States in its economic war against Tehran, we will attack their interests,” Rezaei insisted.
The Iranian leader also warned that if the countries in the region collaborate with Washington, Tehran will prevent the export of oil through the Persian Gulf and will also act against other routes used to export crude from the area. Rezaei added that Iranian authorities are prepared to take action against American oil companies and other businesses with interests in the Middle East, thus raising the tone of warnings directed at Washington and its allies.
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The threat is set against a backdrop of growing tension between Iran, the United States, and Israel. On February 28 of this year, U.S. and Israeli forces carried out new coordinated attacks on Iranian territory, just two days after the conclusion of the third round of talks on the nuclear program held in Switzerland.
In mid-June, the two attacking powers reached a memorandum aimed at stopping hostilities. However, President Trump declared on July 8 that the ceasefire was no longer in effect, after which both countries resumed exchanging attacks. Since then, Washington and Tehran have maintained indirect contacts mediated by several Middle Eastern countries in an attempt to reach a new agreement to end hostilities and establish conditions for a negotiated resolution to the conflict.
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