Former chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Mohsen Rezaei (AP /Vahid Salemi)
Iran declared countries participating in U.S. sanctions to be enemies as Trump unveiled sweeping new economic measures.
By World Israel News Staff
A senior Iranian military official warned U.S. allies that they would be considered enemies of Iran if they joined Washington’s latest campaign of economic sanctions against Tehran, after President Donald Trump declared that the United States was launching an economic offensive against the Islamic Republic.
Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued the warning as the Trump administration imposed a fresh round of economic measures designed to further pressure Iran and constrain its ability to fund its military and regional activities.
“We declare to all countries… do not join the economic war waged by the United States. Any country participating in the imposition of economic restrictions against us is considered an enemy,” Rezaei said in a statement carried by a state-owned Iranian broadcaster.
Rezaei also threatened a severe response should Trump decide to resume direct military action against Iran, pledging that Tehran’s reaction would be “like an earthquake.”
Despite his aggressive rhetoric toward countries that participate in the sanctions campaign, Rezaei struck a somewhat more conditional tone when discussing the Strait of Hormuz — the strategically vital maritime passageway through which a significant portion of global energy supplies traditionally travels.
“The Strait of Hormuz is closed and will not reopen,” Rezaei claimed. “If the United States changes its behavior and fulfills its commitments, the equation will be different, but this time the United States must act. It cannot be resolved through words and talks.”
His remarks came as Iran’s ability to control the strait has increasingly been called into question. Recent shipping data indicates that approximately 80 percent of vessels passing through the waterway are using a route approved by the United States rather than one favored by Tehran, with many avoiding Iranian demands for transit fees.
Trump announced the latest economic offensive on Wednesday in a post on Truth Social, describing it as an “economic D-Day” for Iran.
“These maniacs are on the ropes, and these HISTORIC MEASURES will cripple them and their ability to project terror worldwide. IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” Trump wrote.
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