Iran warned regional states on Saturday against joining a newly announced U.S. campaign to isolate its economy, saying any country that took part would be treated as an enemy of Tehran.
“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,” Mohsen Rezai, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on state television. He added that Tehran would move to “harm” the interests of any country that failed to distance itself from Washington’s campaign.
Rezai also said Iran had refrained so far from striking American economic interests, suggesting it still held options in reserve as the conflict with the United States continues.
The warning came after Washington on Thursday pressed allies and China to join President Donald Trump’s push to isolate Iran’s economy, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying the campaign was intended to help “collapse” the government in Tehran. Bessent said further details of the measures would be announced Monday, and Vice President JD Vance described economic pressure as now “the most effective tool” available to Washington in the standoff.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry called the looming U.S. sanctions an assertion of “extraterritorial sovereignty” over other U.N. member states, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi branded the campaign “economic terrorism” that he said would ultimately fail.
The escalation comes as Trump faces domestic pressure over the economic toll of the six-month conflict, with U.S. midterm elections approaching. Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, have said the war should end, arguing the world has already concluded Tehran prevailed militarily, while Iran’s military leadership has said the country is prepared to respond across land, sea, air, air defense and cyberspace if pressure escalates further.
