At a moment when economic siege and territorial ambition are reshaping the Persian Gulf's ancient trade arteries, Iran's newly empowered security chief has drawn a line in the sand for every neighbouring government: stand with Washington, and stand against Tehran. Mohsen Rezaei's warning — delivered from the apex of Iran's security apparatus — reflects not mere bluster but a calculated signal that restraint has limits, and that the Strait of Hormuz has become the fulcrum upon which a broader regional order is being tested. What unfolds now is less a bilateral confrontation than a civilisationa
Iran's security chief warns neighbors against joining US economic pressure campaign
We will target their interests if they join the economic war
Mark
Why does Rezaei's appointment matter so much? Is he just another official?
Mimi
He's not just another official. He ran the Revolutionary Guard during the entire Iran-Iraq War—he's a war veteran with credibility among the hardline faction. His appointment signals that Iran's leadership is moving toward confrontation, not compromise.
Mark
But why threaten neighbours instead of just threatening the US directly?
Mimi
Because the neighbours are the weak link. If the UAE, Oman, or other Gulf states help America enforce the blockade, Iran loses leverage. By threatening them, Rezaei is trying to keep them neutral—or at least prevent them from actively cooperating against Iran.
Mark
What does he mean by "we have not yet attacked American economic interests"?
Mimi
He's signalling restraint while keeping a threat in reserve. Iran has struck military targets so far, but he's saying if the economic pressure intensifies, American oil companies and commercial assets in the region become fair game. It's a warning wrapped in a confession.
Mark
Trump keeps calling the Strait of Hormuz American territory. Is that legally meaningful?
Mimi
Not in any international law sense. But it signals intent—he's claiming control and warning others not to interfere. It's more about psychology and power projection than actual sovereignty.
Mark
So France and Saudi Arabia building alternative routes—does that undermine Trump's strategy?
Mimi
Completely. If the world can move oil and goods around the strait, the blockade loses its teeth. Trump's leverage depends on the strait being a chokepoint. Alternative routes turn it into just another waterway.
Mark
What happens if Rezaei actually follows through on these threats?
Mimi
That's the real question. If Iran strikes American or allied commercial interests, it escalates the conflict beyond the military sphere into economic warfare. That could trigger a much broader regional response.
O Pulso
- Iran's hardline new security chief has threatened to treat neighbouring states as enemies and strike their oil and commercial interests if they join America's economic campaign against Tehran.
- The UAE's suspension of all trade with Iran this week marks a concrete fracture in regional ties, while Washington presses China and others to deepen the isolation — so far without success.
- Trump's repeated public claims that the Strait of Hormuz is American territory — backed by a naval blockade and a Treasury sanctions campaign called Operation Economic Fury — have transformed a waterway into a geopolitical flashpoint.
- Iran's security chief has signalled that American economic companies operating near Iran are now potential targets, warning that Tehran's restraint in striking economic interests will not last indefinitely.
- France and Saudi Arabia are quietly engineering an exit from the crisis by designing alternative pipelines, Omani port routes, and rail corridors — a long-term architectural response to American control of the strait.
- The world is beginning to route around the blockade, suggesting that however the immediate standoff resolves, the geography of global energy trade may never fully return to what it was.
At a moment when economic siege and territorial ambition are reshaping the Persian Gulf's ancient trade arteries, Iran's newly empowered security chief has drawn a line in the sand for every neighbouring government: stand with Washington, and stand against Tehran. Mohsen Rezaei's warning — delivered from the apex of Iran's security apparatus — reflects not mere bluster but a calculated signal that restraint has limits, and that the Strait of Hormuz has become the fulcrum upon which a broader regional order is being tested. What unfolds now is less a bilateral confrontation than a civilisational negotiation over who controls the veins through which the world's energy flows.
Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's newly appointed head of its supreme national security council, used his first major television interview to deliver an unambiguous message to the region: any government that joins America's economic campaign against Iran will be treated as an enemy, with its oil shipping routes and commercial interests placed in Tehran's crosshairs. Rezaei is not a peripheral figure — he commanded the Revolutionary Guard Corps through most of the Iran-Iraq war — and his appointment alongside other senior military reshuffles signals a deliberate shift toward confrontational leadership at a moment of acute pressure.
The threat carries weight because Rezaei was explicit about what has been held back. Iran, he said, has not yet struck American economic interests — only military bases — but if economic warfare continues, that restraint will end. The warning lands against a backdrop of a six-month conflict with Israel, American-backed, that began in late February and has stalled into a collapsed ceasefire, leaving Iran in control of the Strait of Hormuz — the passage through which a fifth of the world's oil once moved freely.
The Trump administration has responded to that control with escalating pressure. The president launched Operation Economic Fury through the Treasury Department and last week threatened severe consequences for any nation trading with Tehran. He has also made the unusual move of publicly claiming the Strait of Hormuz as American territory — first in remarks to reporters, then at a rally in South Carolina, and finally by posting a map on social media labelling it a new US possession. The UAE, one of Iran's largest trading partners, announced this week it was suspending all trade and financial dealings with Tehran indefinitely.
Yet the blockade is already generating its own circumvention. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is travelling to Paris for talks with President Macron that are expected to produce plans for alternative infrastructure: expanded Saudi pipelines, increased traffic through Omani ports beyond the Gulf's reach, and new rail connections. A Franco-Saudi ministerial taskforce on energy and logistics is set to convene, with the explicit aim of identifying projects, securing financing, and positioning French companies in the new architecture. The signal is unmistakable — even as the confrontation intensifies, the world is quietly beginning to build its way around it.
Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's newly appointed security chief, has issued a stark warning to the countries surrounding Iran: align with American economic pressure, and you will be treated as enemies. In his first major public statement since taking the helm of Iran's supreme national security council this month, Rezaei told state television that Tehran would target oil-shipping routes and commercial interests in the region if neighbouring states joined what he described as Washington's "economic war" against the Islamic Republic.
Rezaei is no minor figure in Iranian politics. He spent most of the 1980-88 war with Iraq as commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and his recent appointment signals a deliberate hardening of Tehran's posture at a moment of acute regional tension. His appointment came alongside a series of other senior military and security moves that observers read as a shift toward more confrontational leadership. The timing of his interview with state broadcaster IRIB—his most extensive remarks since taking office—underscores how seriously Iran is treating the current standoff.
The threat extends beyond rhetoric. Rezaei made clear that Iran has weapons it has not yet deployed. "We have not yet attacked any American economic interests," he said, before laying out the logic: "So far, we have only targeted military bases, but if they want to impose economic sanctions on us, the United States has oil and economic companies around Iran and elsewhere, and we will strike them." The message was unmistakable—restraint so far, but not indefinitely.
This escalation arrives as the Trump administration has intensified its campaign to economically isolate Iran. Last week, the president announced a sweeping new effort to impose "tremendous economic consequences" on any nation that does business with Tehran. The backdrop is a six-month conflict that began on February 28 between Iran and Israel, with American backing, that has stalled without resolution. A ceasefire agreement signed in June collapsed, leaving Iran in control of the Strait of Hormuz—the waterway through which one-fifth of the world's oil once flowed before the fighting began.
Trump has also pursued an unusual diplomatic tactic: repeatedly claiming the Strait of Hormuz as American territory. "We control it with the blockade, and I like the idea of declaring it a territory," he told reporters on Monday. By Friday, he was telling crowds in South Carolina that he viewed the strait "as an American territory right now." On Saturday night, he posted a map on his social media platform labeling it a "new US territory." The Pentagon has maintained a naval blockade there, while the Treasury Department has been running Operation Economic Fury, a sanctions campaign designed to starve Iran of the foreign currency it needs to survive.
The economic pressure is already having effects. The United Arab Emirates, one of Iran's major trading partners, announced this week that it was suspending all trade and financial transactions with Tehran indefinitely. Washington has been pressing other nations—particularly China, a top Iranian strategic partner—to join the isolation effort. China has resisted, arguing that sanctions will not resolve the Middle East conflict.
But the blockade and sanctions have prompted a counterresponse from America's regional rivals. France and Saudi Arabia are now developing alternative infrastructure to bypass the Strait of Hormuz entirely. During a two-day visit to Paris beginning Sunday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to discuss plans for new trade routes. The proposals include expanding pipelines in Saudi Arabia, increasing commerce through Omani ports outside the Gulf, and building new rail connections. France and Saudi Arabia have formed a taskforce on energy and logistics that will meet at the ministerial level on Monday, with the stated goal of identifying strategic projects, securing financing, and carving out roles for French companies. The long-term implication is clear: the world is beginning to build its way around American control of the strait.
Citações Notáveis
We have not yet attacked any American economic interests. So far, we have only targeted military bases, but if they want to impose economic sanctions on us, the United States has oil and economic companies around Iran and elsewhere, and we will strike them.— Mohsen Rezaei, Iran's security chief
We control it with the blockade, and I like the idea of declaring it a territory.— Donald Trump, US President, on the Strait of Hormuz
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Politics & Governance