Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, has warned Gulf countries against joining US efforts to impose economic pressure on Tehran, saying Iran would retaliate by targeting their interests. “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 on Sunday, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

“We will also target other oil export routes from the Persian Gulf,” he added.

His warning comes as US President Donald Trump prepares to intensify economic pressure on Iran, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expected to announce details of a plan aimed at isolating Tehran and its trading partners.

The measures are intended to shift the conflict away from direct military strikes and towards economic pressure, after months of fighting between the US and Iran.

Rezaei also criticised Trump’s approach to the war, arguing that the attacks had increased global interest in acquiring nuclear weapons.

“Trump’s recklessness, with his attacks on Iran, has increased the desire of people around the world to acquire nuclear weapons, especially when they saw that membership in the International Atomic Energy Agency and the [Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty] NPT was ineffective in preventing attacks from the United States,” he said. “Trump has created nuclear insecurity instead of nuclear security,” Rezaei added.

He said Iran had accepted international nuclear safeguards, complied with them, remained a member of the NPT and agreed to inspections. “Iran is the only country that is ahead of all other countries in its commitment to nuclear regulations,” he said.

Rezaei said Tehran also needed to change its approach to the conflict and its diplomatic conduct. “Iran today is not the same Iran as before the war,” he said.

He linked recent military appointments by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to what he described as Tehran’s intention to remain prepared for war.

He also said the conflict had changed how young Iranians viewed the US. “The whole world has understood that Trump is a fool,” he said, according to Tasnim.

US Turns to Economic Pressure

Trump’s administration is betting that new sanctions, a naval blockade and pressure on countries trading with Iran can force Tehran to accept a deal on US terms. The strategy follows months of military action in which US and Israeli forces have targeted thousands of sites in Iran.

The US now plans to target Iran’s economy and countries that continue to trade with Tehran.

Bessent is expected to unveil the details of the new strategy on Monday. The campaign could affect countries including China, India, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

The US has previously indicated that the measures could target Iran’s oil trade, with China a particularly important focus because it is the main buyer of Iranian oil. But analysts have warned that increased economic pressure could provoke an Iranian military response rather than force Tehran to capitulate.

“If this is actually effective, at some point, Iran will lash out again — they just will have no alternative,” Nate Swanson, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council who worked on Iran issues at the State Department and White House National Security Council until last year, told Bloomberg. “Trump may see this as a different phase of the war, but I don’t think Iran does,” he said.

Chris Kennedy, the economic statecraft lead at Bloomberg Economics, said Iran could respond militarily if the new economic campaign succeeds. “If this new economic pressure campaign works — and that’s a big if — it’s more likely that we would see military action coming out of Iran than that we would see capitulation, at least as a first step,” he said. “Just because the US has decided to pause its full-blown military operation doesn’t mean Iran will follow suit.”

Iran Retains Leverage Over Strait of Hormuz

Since the US and Israel began attacking Iran on 28 February, Tehran has endured extensive airstrikes, sanctions and a US naval blockade while retaining the ability to launch attacks in the region. Iran has used Shahed drones and ballistic missiles against US bases and civilian infrastructure across the Gulf, including water and power facilities.

The conflict has severely disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and pushed up global energy prices.

Iran’s control over the strategic waterway has also given Tehran leverage in any negotiations with Washington. Rezaei said Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had persuaded Trump to pursue an economic war against Iran.

According to Rezaei, Trump had initially been sceptical but agreed to try the measures for two to three months before deciding whether to extend them for six months. “The enemy is counting on division and disagreement,” Rezaei said, while insisting that Iran remained united.

Economic Pressure Hits Iran

The US pressure campaign is already having a significant effect on Iran’s economy. Iran’s rial has lost almost 30% of its value this year, while inflation has risen above 80%.

The country’s central bank governor said this week that Iranian oil exports had “virtually stopped” because of the US blockade, cutting off the government’s main source of revenue.

The International Monetary Fund forecast in April that Iran’s economy would contract by 6.1% this year, which would be its worst contraction in decades. The economic crisis follows years of sanctions and isolation, with Iran also facing nationwide protests before the war.