Ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on Aug. 10 (local time). [AFP]
Ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on Aug. 10 (local time). [AFP]

As the United States shifts from military pressure to an economic stranglehold against Iran, Tehran has fired back with a threat to cut off oil exports from Gulf producing nations entirely. Iran warned that countries cooperating with Washington's sanctions will be treated as enemies and that it could block not only the Strait of Hormuz but alternative crude shipping routes as well. Analysts warn that even if direct military clashes between the two sides subside, tensions over energy markets could intensify.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary-general of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, appeared on state television and said Iran would ensure "not a single drop of oil gets out" if the United States takes further action, The New York Times reported Sunday.

Rezaei warned neighboring countries not to join what he called the US "economic war" against Iran, saying any nation that participates in imposing economic sanctions would be considered an enemy.

The remarks were a direct response to what the Donald Trump administration has framed as an economic "D-Day" against Iran. Trump has vowed to wage an unprecedented economic campaign against Tehran and has signaled that third countries maintaining financial or commercial ties with Iran would face severe economic consequences.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to announce additional economic sanctions against Iran on Monday. In a Financial Times op-ed, Bessent said Washington would turn countries that support Iran into "international pariahs" and pledged to sever Tehran's economic lifelines.

Iran's primary leverage is the Persian Gulf, the world's most critical chokepoint for oil shipments. Rezaei said Iran would first seek negotiations with countries considering joining US sanctions, but warned that if those talks failed, it could block oil exports across the entire Persian Gulf — going beyond the Strait of Hormuz.

He also hinted that Iran could target alternative shipping routes it has so far left untouched. Gulf oil producers have spent tens of billions of dollars over recent months expanding bypass pipelines and export infrastructure to reduce their dependence on the strait. If Iran were to threaten those facilities as well, fears of a broader disruption to global oil supply could deepen.

Military exchanges between the US and Iran have declined recently, but negotiations have in effect stalled. Washington is demanding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran's nuclear program, while Tehran insists on the withdrawal of US forces from the region, a halt to sanctions and the release of frozen assets as preconditions.

As US maritime pressure and tightening sanctions take a toll on Iran's economy, neighboring countries such as the UAE and Iraq may face growing pressure as well. The UAE, which has long served as a key financial and trade hub for Iran, recently announced it was suspending all trade and financial dealings with Tehran.

Experts say Iran appears to be pursuing a "shared fate" strategy — highlighting that neighboring countries would inevitably suffer alongside Iran under Washington's economic isolation campaign.

Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, CEO of the UK think tank Bourse & Bazaar Foundation, said Iran has grown more dependent on neighbors such as the UAE and Iraq because of its economic isolation, and that Rezaei's remarks were intended "to show that the fate of Iran's neighbors is also tied to Iran's."

Mohammad Ghaderi, a diplomacy expert based in Tehran, said Iran's leadership is shifting its response from a purely defensive posture to a comprehensive offensive strategy that includes economic warfare. The central axis of the US-Iran confrontation is moving from the military to the economic sphere, but the risk of conflict over oil shipping lanes remains, meaning global economic uncertainty is unlikely to dissipate anytime soon.


sjy@heraldcorp.com