Countries joining US sanctions will be considered enemies, Iran warns

Iran on Saturday warned countries against participating in the United States’ “economic war” against the Islamic republic, saying they would be considered enemies.

Washington has pushed its allies to jump aboard Donald Trump’s new campaign to isolate the Iranian economy, as the US President’s unpopular war drags toward the six-month mark.

“We declare to all countries… do not join the economic war waged by the United States,” said Mohsen Rezai, the head of Iran’s supreme national security council, on state television.

“Any country participating in the imposition of economic restrictions against us is considered an enemy,” he added.

If the countries concerned refused to “distance themselves” from the United States, Iran would “harm” their interests, he added.

Rezai also insisted that the Islamic republic had more cards to play in the war, claiming that “we have not yet attacked any American economic interests”.

• Pentagon sacks military newspaper chiefs over editorial freedom row
• US-Canada tariff talks collapse, raising trade war fears
• Bitcoin jumps above $77,000 on US crypto policy hopes

“So far, we have only targeted military bases, but if they want to impose economic sanctions on us, the United States has oil and economic companies around Iran and elsewhere, and we will strike them,” Rezai threatened.

Should Trump “take action, our confrontation will be like an earthquake”, he added.

Washington has also called on other governments to join its efforts to isolate the Iranian economy, notably Beijing, among Iran’s top strategic partners.

But China has criticised the initiative, arguing that American sanctions would not resolve the conflict in the Middle East.

One of Iran’s major trading partners, the United Arab Emirates, announced on Tuesday that it was suspending all trade and financial transactions with Tehran until further notice.