Iran’s threat to retaliate against countries that join the United States’ ‘economic war’ against it, as diplomatic efforts to end the months-long war have stalled and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has drastically decreased, has intensified. The US plans to announce new sanctions on Monday, potentially further straining the Iranian economy, prompting a reassessment of Tehran’s strategic response. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued a stark warning on Saturday, stating that Iran would appeal to all countries around the world, including its neighbors, not to join the US’s ‘economic war’. He warned of ‘seismic’ retaliation, suggesting Iran’s neighbors – including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE – could participate in Trump’s economic warfare, potentially triggering alternative export routes away from the Hormuz chokepoint, a vital artery for global oil and gas supplies. This escalation stems from Iran’s aggressive attacks on US military installations and civilian locations since the war began on February 28, ostensibly to disrupt nuclear activities and to demonstrate its resistance to American aggression. The US operates military facilities in over a dozen locations across the Middle East and North Africa, including in Gulf nations, such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Thousands of US soldiers are also stationed across the region, including in Jordan. Rezaei’s remarks came after US President Donald Trump announced that his government would undertake the ‘most crushing economic operation’ yet against Iran, pledging ‘tremendous economic consequences’ for any country that gives Iran ‘any type of lifeline’. The US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, echoed his threats the following day, stating, ‘You’re either with us or against us’. He also urged cooperation from China, which buys more than 80 percent of Iran’s oil shipments. On Sunday, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said: Iran is ‘in a full-scale economic, military and security war’ with the US. He said Washington falsely predicted before the war that it would fall amid US aggression and become like Venezuela. “Not only did it not happen, but it became a power that amazed the world with its resistance, solidarity, and cohesion,” he said. Rezaei described Iran’s strategy as a three-stage sequence, starting with talks with countries cooperating with the US to de-escalate tensions. “Of course, we will first negotiate with them. We will hold talks and tell them to step aside and distance themselves from the United States,” he added. “But if they do not act, we will strike. We will target that country’s interests,” he added. Rezaei’s warning that alternative export routes outside Hormuz could be targeted, probably points to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait gateway to the Red Sea, indicates Iran’s military-security establishment is increasingly preparing for another round of escalation. Gulf countries, which are Iran’s neighbours and also US allies, have increasingly been finding themselves caught in the middle of the war. So it is unclear if they will join Washington in economically threatening Iran further. Iran’s attacks on Gulf nations have impacted their economies, which use Hormuz for most of their exports, including oil and gas. While Gulf nations have condemned Iranian attacks on their territories, analysts say Gulf states closely aligned with Washington recognize that a functioning political relationship with Iran is necessary due to its close proximity. The UAE restored diplomatic relations with Iran in 2022 but imposed a trade embargo last week after accusing Iran of a missile attack. Iran denies responsibility. Since 1979, Iran has faced sanctions from the US and other nations in the West. The United Nations has also imposed sanctions on Tehran. The US first imposed sanctions after the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the pro-Western ruler Reza Shah Pahlavi. Washington said that was in response to Iranian students taking Americans hostage at the US embassy in Tehran. Washington also halted oil imports from Iran and froze $12bn in Iranian assets following the revolution. Iranian products were banned from import into the US, apart from small gifts, informational material, foodstuffs and some carpets. In 1995, President Bill Clinton issued executive orders preventing US companies from investing in Iranian oil and gas and trading with Iran. He banned US trade with Iran and investment. A year later, the US Congress passed a law requiring the US government to impose sanctions on foreign firms investing more than $20m a year in Iran’s energy sector. During Trump’s first term, Qassem Soleimani, the head of the IRGC’s elite Quds Force, was assassinated in a drone strike in Baghdad in 2020. The US also imposed additional sanctions on Iran. The European Union also followed suit. In 2015, Iran signed a nuclear deal – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – with the US, EU, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom. The deal put a cap on Iran’s nuclear programme in return for the complete lifting of sanctions. However, in 2018, during his first term, Trump announced the US withdrawal from the nuclear treaty and reimposed all sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the treaty as part of his ‘maximum pressure’ campaign against Tehran. In 2019, the Trump administration designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a ‘Foreign Terrorist Organisation’. Additionally, he imposed sanctions targeting petrochemicals, metals (steel, aluminium, copper) and senior Iranian officials. Since 1979, Iran has faced sanctions from the US and other nations in the West. The United Nations has also imposed sanctions on Tehran. The US first imposed sanctions after the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the pro-Western ruler Reza Shah Pahlavi. Washington said that was in response to Iranian students taking Americans hostage at the US embassy in Tehran. Washington also halted oil imports from Iran and froze $12bn in Iranian assets following the revolution. The Iranian attacks on Gulf nations have impacted their economies, which use Hormuz for most of their exports, including oil and gas. As a result, that ‘will keep them away from a completely uncontrolled level of escalation’, and depleted global oil inventories will make a prolonged confrontation between the US and Iran unattractive. “All inventories have not been able to be replenished” during the ceasefire, Parsi added. The Biden administration, in power from 2021 to 2025, kept in place most US sanctions. Last September, UN sanctions were reimposed due to Iran’s nuclear programme when the UNSC voted against permanently lifting economic sanctions. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said: Iran is ‘in a full-scale economic, military and security war’ with the US. He said Washington falsely predicted before the war that it would fall amid US aggression and become like Venezuela. “Not only did it not happen, but it became a power that amazed the world with its resistance, solidarity, and cohesion,” he said. The Biden administration, in power from 2021 to 2025, kept in place most US sanctions. The current situation highlights a complex interplay of geopolitical factors, strategic interests, and economic consequences, potentially leading to a significant escalation in tensions.”}”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
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Source: Al Jazeera
