Iran escalated its threats overnight (Saturday-Sunday) against countries that assist the United States in imposing economic pressure on it, amid reports of renewed mediation efforts by Pakistan. This comes ahead of an expected US announcement tomorrow of a new package of sanctions against Tehran, which US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described as the toughest sanctions imposed on Iran to date.
Mehdi Rahimi, head of the Iranian Parliament’s news agency, told Al-Mayadeen in an interview that “the Americans have realized that the military route against Iran will not produce results. Anyone who supports the United States in the economic war it is waging against Iran will pay the price.”
The warning comes on the heels of remarks by Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Rezaei warned countries in the region against joining the U.S. economic campaign, saying that Iran would consider countries that did so to be enemies and would act against their interests. “If Donald Trump takes new aggressive measures, we will respond with force,” Rezaei said. “If neighboring countries cooperate with the Americans in the economic war, we will target their interests. Not a single drop of oil will leave the Persian Gulf or the Strait of Hormuz.”
The threats came after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a significant escalation of economic pressure on Iran and warned that countries and companies continuing to provide Tehran with economic assistance could also face consequences. Trump shared a post on the social media platform Truth Social claiming that more than 1,000 vessels had passed through the Strait of Hormuz under U.S. protection.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said details of the new measures would be announced on Monday, and suggested that increased economic pressure could reduce the need for a renewal of large-scale military operations. China, which purchases more than 80% of Iran’s seaborne oil exports, is among the countries that could be affected by the U.S. policy.
Al Jazeera reported overnight, citing a source familiar with the matter, that Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is expected to travel to Tehran within the next two days. Pakistan has played a central mediating role between Iran and the United States in recent months, and Munir himself has already visited Tehran as part of efforts to advance understandings between the two sides.
In recent days, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with Munir. According to reports in Iran, the two discussed recent developments in the region, diplomatic contacts, and ways of advancing political solutions and strengthening coordination between Tehran and Islamabad.
These developments come after months of confrontation between Iran and the United States, as talks toward a settlement remain stalled. Meanwhile, the severe disruption to the movement of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz continues, while economic pressure on Iran intensifies. Tehran maintains that the U.S. sanctions are illegal and describes them as an attempt to force it to change its policies through economic strangulation.