Iran warns neighbors against joining US economic campaign, threatens Strait of Hormuz closure

TEHRAN, Iran — Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, has called on the country's neighbors not to join the US economic campaign against Tehran, warning that participation would damage their own interests. In an interview with Iranian state television, Rezaei said Iran seeks an end to the war in West Asia, but cautioned that regional states siding with Washington on the economic front would act against their own benefit. Rezaei disputed US claims that the Strait of Hormuz is closed, stating instead that the waterway would remain shut until relations with Washington improve. He noted that more than 50 percent of the Persian Gulf coastline belongs to Iran and that management of the strait falls under Tehran's authority. Referencing US President Donald Trump's broad economic campaign against Iran, Rezaei said Tehran would respond with force comparable to an earthquake. He also warned that if threats against countries providing financial or commercial support to Iran continue, not a single drop of oil would leave the Gulf or the Strait of Hormuz. No further details were immediately available.