Tehran Warns Nations Joining US Economic Campaign Against Iran Will Be Treated as Enemies

Iran's supreme national security council chief Mohsen Rezai warned on August 22 that any nation joining US economic restrictions against Tehran would be treated as an enemy.

Original report
www.rferl.org

Industry impact

Escalating threats around the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly a fifth of global oil supply moves, raise operational risk considerations for aviation and maritime routing planners.

Iran's government warned all countries on August 22 against joining the United States in its economic campaign against Tehran, saying any nation that participates would be considered an enemy. "We declare to all countries...do not join the economic war waged by the United States. Any country participating in the imposition of economic restrictions against us is considered an enemy," said Mohsen Rezai, head of Iran's supreme national security council, in remarks broadcast on state television.

The warning followed US President Donald Trump's announcement of Washington's intention to impose an "unprecedented" level of sanctions on Iran to compel it to end its nuclear program and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz. On August 20, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC the sanctions plan would "collapse" the Islamic republic, describing it as a "one-two punch" combining a port blockade with the "toughest sanctions in history."

Nearly 20 percent of the global oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, and its partial closure has disrupted global supply and driven international oil prices to record highs. NATO is exploring options to ensure freedom of navigation in the strait, while an oil tanker sanctioned by the US for allegedly transporting Iranian petroleum products was seized off Yemen and diverted toward Somalia. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed drone attacks on an airport and an oil facility in Saudi Arabia's Najran region, near the Yemeni border.