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Iran19 August, 20263 min read

Mohsen Rezaee Threatens To Target Countries Joining Donald Trump’s New Iran Sanctions

Mohsen Rezaee warns countries joining U.S. sanctions will be treated as enemies. Iran vows tit-for-tat retaliation against allied states and could target Gulf oil flows.

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Mohsen Rezaee Threatens To Target Countries Joining Donald Trump’s New Iran Sanctions
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Sanctions Split Iran

Tehran faced a rise in conflicting statements as Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaee threatened to target countries participating in new American sanctions, warning U.S. President Donald Trump and neighboring states not to engage in an economic war with Washington.

Rezaee said Iran would respond with enormous force if Trump takes any step and that it would not allow a single drop of oil to leave the Gulf and the Hormuz Strait if those countries join Washington.

Image from Aajil
Image: Aajil

On the other hand, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian opened the door to a political path, stressing the importance of returning to the memorandum of understanding with the United States to end the ongoing state of "no war, no peace" that has persisted for six months.

In the same vein, Ismail Baqayi, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, announced that Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir will visit Tehran on Monday to continue efforts to promote peace and security in the region, amid American threats to impose harsher sanctions.

Reporting for this sectionAajil

Retaliation Threats, Oil Pressure

Iran warned of retaliation against any country that joins the United States’ “economic war,” with Mohsen Rezaei telling the IRIB state broadcaster that “Any country that takes part in imposing economic restrictions on us will be regarded as an enemy,” and warning of a “seismic” retaliation.

Rezaei described Iran’s strategy as a three-stage sequence starting with talks to de-escalate tensions, saying, “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.”

Image from Aajil
Image: Aajil

As the sanctions pressure loomed, Brent crude fell 2% to $92.5, with investors awaiting a statement from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about a new campaign to tighten economic pressure on Iran.

The Aajil economy piece said the US campaign will target buyers and shippers of Iranian oil, money exchangers networks, banks, shipping companies, and brokers, while analysts warned tougher sanctions could raise risks to Middle East oil supplies.

Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeraAajil

Economic Fallout and Stakes

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he is trying to prevent the "many problems" brought by fresh economic sanctions, telling state television on Sunday, "I understand we have many problems in society right now. We are trying to prevent these as much as we can,".

In the same ABC News & Headlines report, Pezeshkian said US President Donald Trump is staging "a full-scale economic, military and security war" against Iran, and ABC News & Headlines added that since the war began on February 28, 3,636 people have reportedly died in Iran, with 2,100 estimated to be civilian deaths.

Al Jazeera reported that the Iranian government is preparing the public for another increase in fuel prices, with the offer of heavily subsidised fuel to Iran’s 93 million population described as a burden the government is struggling to afford.

Al Jazeera also said the International Monetary Fund predicts that Iran’s gross domestic product (GDP) will contract by 5.4 percent in 2026, while the Iranian rial hit a new all-time low of 2 million rials per the US dollar in Tehran’s open market on Sunday afternoon.

Reporting for this sectionABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting CorporationAl Jazeera