Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei warned neighbouring countries on Saturday against joining what Tehran described as a US economic war, saying Iran would regard them as enemies if they did.
“We are telling all nearby countries not to join the US economic war, otherwise, we will consider them as enemies,” Rezaei said on state television.
He issued a particular warning to Gulf states, saying Tehran would retaliate if they joined US sanctions.
“If the countries surrounding Iran join the Americans in their economic war, not a drop of oil will leave the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,” Rezaei said.
He also threatened other oil export routes from the Persian Gulf, escalating Tehran’s warnings over the potential economic consequences of regional participation in US pressure.
Rezaei said US President Donald Trump had been persuaded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to wage an economic war against Iran, while accusing Washington of seeking to exploit divisions inside the country.
“The enemy is counting on division and disagreement,” he said, adding that Iran remained unified.
Trump again claims Hormuz
Trump has again posted an image of a regional map on Truth Social marking the Strait of Hormuz as “NEW U.S. Territory”.
It was the second time in a week that Trump shared the image, although he offered no caption or additional commentary.
Trump said at a rally on Friday that he regarded Hormuz as “an American territory right now” and insisted Iran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
Rezaei said Trump’s actions had instead increased global interest in acquiring nuclear weapons.
He argued that the US attacks showed that membership of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty had failed to provide adequate protection.
“Trump has created nuclear insecurity instead of nuclear security,” Rezaei said, while maintaining that Iran had accepted international safeguards and complied with IAEA inspections.
“Iran is the only country that is ahead of all other countries in its commitment to nuclear regulations,” he said.
Iran says it remains united
Rezaei said Iran had changed since the war and claimed perceptions of the United States among Iranian youth had shifted.
He said the previous image of America as a “peace-loving” nation no longer held, adding: “The whole world has understood that Trump is a fool.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian separately said the country was fighting a “full-scale economic, military and security war”, but that its power and cohesion had surprised the world.
“The enemies imagined that with their pressure and actions Iran would collapse,” Pezeshkian said at a ceremony in Tehran.
“Not only did this not happen, but the power and unity of the Iranian nation amazed the world,” he said.
Pezeshkian praised what he described as the people’s resistance, saying analysts could not easily explain how Iran had withstood such pressure.
“Our dear people truly performed a miracle,” he said, according to Mehr.
He acknowledged continuing difficulties but vowed that the government would continue serving the Iranian people and confronting the crises.
Macron, MBS to discuss regional issues
French President Emmanuel Macron will host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday for a two-day visit expected to cover regional security, energy, transport and other areas.
Several agreements on health, transport and energy are expected to be signed on Monday, according to a French presidential official.
The visit will begin with Macron hosting the Saudi leader at the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup in Paris.
Macron and MBS will chair the first meeting of the Saudi-French strategic partnership council on Monday.
The two leaders will discuss regional issues as France seeks closer coordination with its Gulf partners on stability and peace in the Middle East.
European ministers seek oil windfall tax
Finance ministers from Germany, Italy, Austria, Poland and Portugal, together with Spain’s economy minister, have called for an EU-wide windfall tax on oil companies.
The ministers said the region was experiencing one of the biggest supply shocks in decades and warned of growing public discontent over rising living costs.
