Iran warns of retaliation against countries joining US ‘economic war’
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- Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told state broadcaster IRIB that any country imposing economic restrictions on Iran "will be regarded as an enemy" and warned of "seismic" retaliation against its interests.
- Rezaei outlined a three-stage Iran strategy: first negotiate and urge countries to "step aside" from the US, then strike their interests if they refuse — naming neighbours and countries worldwide as the target audience.
- Trump announced his government would launch the "most crushing economic operation" yet against Iran and pledged "tremendous economic consequences" for any country giving Tehran "any type of lifeline," prompting Iran's formal protest.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reinforced the ultimatum with "You're either with us or against us" and directly urged China — which buys more than 80% of Iran's shipped oil — to cooperate; Bessent is due to detail the new sanctions Monday.
- Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei called the imminent US sanctions an "assertion of extraterritorial sovereignty over every independent member state of the United Nations" that "find no foundation in international law."
- Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke by phone with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi to press both Tehran and Washington to "return to the diplomatic path," including the Oman-Iran negotiation track and the US-Iran memorandum.
- Araghchi also spoke with Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir about "effective solutions to strengthen peace, stability and security in the West Asian region," while the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively halted since Iran's February 28 closure following US-Israel strikes.
- Iran granted special permission for Iraqi oil tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz, but Al Jazeera reported the situation "remains vague" with no deal reached between Iran and Oman on managing shipping.
Why it matters: The ultimatum lands as Treasury Secretary Bessent prepares Monday sanctions details aimed squarely at cutting China's 80%+ share of Iranian oil purchases — meaning Beijing faces a binary choice between its largest sanctioned-state oil supplier and continued access to US financial markets, with Iran explicitly threatening military retaliation against any country that picks Washington's side.
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