Tehran, August 23: Iran’s top security official, Mohsen Rezaei, has issued a stark warning that any nation participating in the United States’ economic battle against Iran will be deemed an ‘enemy’ by Tehran. In an interview with the state television channel IRIB on Saturday, Rezaei, who serves as the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, emphasized the seriousness of the situation.
He stated that Iran would first engage in dialogue with such countries, urging them to distance themselves from this conflict. However, if they refuse, Iran will target their interests. Rezaei cautioned that if neighboring nations join the US-imposed economic blockade, Iran would prevent oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to a report by Xinhua News Agency, Rezaei noted that Iran has learned ways to evade US sanctions and continue selling oil over the past several years.
He reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the US fulfills its commitments under the Iran-US Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in June. He insisted that the first step must come from Washington.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, stated that the US’s economic campaign against Iran would ultimately fail, just like previous pressure tactics. On social media platform X, Araghchi wrote, “14 years ago: ‘The toughest sanctions in history’ failed. Eight years ago: ‘Maximum pressure’ failed. Five months ago: ‘Unconditional surrender’ failed. Today: ‘The harshest economic campaign yet’ will also fail.”
His comments come at a time when US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the most severe economic campaign would be launched against any country supporting Iran.
Trump described this initiative as an unprecedented level of economic warfare and isolation, referring to it as ‘Economic D-Day.’
On June 18, the US and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at resolving ongoing conflicts in the region, including issues related to Lebanon. Under this agreement, both nations were to reach a final accord through negotiations within 60 days. This period ended on Monday, but the future of these talks remains uncertain following heightened tensions between the two countries last month.
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