Iran threatens to block Hormuz if neighbours join US sanctions

Iran has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz if neighboring countries join US sanctions, according to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. Rezaei warned that Tehran would target the interests of countries assisting the United States in its economic pressure campaign against Iran, stating they would be considered enemies.

He accused former President Donald Trump of being influenced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to wage an economic war on Iran, emphasizing that Iran remained unified. Rezaei directed his warning specifically at Gulf states, asserting that if they joined the US in their economic war, no oil would leave the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran would target other oil export routes.

He also claimed that Trump's recklessness had increased global interest in acquiring nuclear weapons, noting that Iran was the only country fully committed to nuclear regulations and international safeguards. Rezaei argued that Iran is no longer the same country it was before the war, as perceptions of the US among Iranian youth have shifted and the image of America as a peace-loving nation has faded.