Any state that joins the United States in its ongoing conflict will be treated as an enemy, and Tehran will actively target their regional interests in retaliation, a senior Iranian security official warned amid escalating diplomatic and economic tensions.
The Economic D-Day Warning from Tehran
The warning from Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, came as the Trump administration moved to impose an unprecedented campaign of financial pressure against Tehran. According to reports cited by Al-Jazeera, Rezaei cautioned neighboring Gulf nations against participating in what Washington has described as an "economic D-Day" targeting Iran’s financial interests.
"If the countries surrounding Iran join the Americans in their economic war, not a drop of oil will leave the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and we will also target other oil export routes from the Persian Gulf," Rezaei said, as reported by Al-Jazeera.
Strait of Hormuz Traffic Plummets
The security warnings coincide with a severe constriction of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint through which one-fifth of the world’s energy passes.
Data from Kpler indicated that shipping through the corridor plummeted to single digits, with only seven commodity vessels transiting the waterway. The total included four ships entering the Gulf and three exiting, a sharp decline from the 14 vessels recorded the previous day, and a steep drop from the pre-conflict average of 130 to 140 vessels daily before hostilities began in late February.
Oman Threatened Amid Diplomatic Friction
While Washington pursued an aggressive sanctions campaign, diplomatic friction also strained longstanding American partnerships in the region.
President Donald Trump issued a blunt threat regarding Oman, an American ally for nearly two centuries, stating that the country would be bombed if it interfered with a potential peace deal or got in the way of US objectives, following the expiration of a 60-day interim agreement.
Defiant Stance from President Pezeshkian
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian maintained a defiant stance during a meeting of doctors, asserting that the global community has already acknowledged Iran’s resilience.
"The entire world approved our victory and the U.S. is hated," Pezeshkian said, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Pentagon Evaluating Long-Term Footprint
Amid the shifting regional dynamics, the Pentagon is evaluating its long-term footprint.
Officials told The Washington Post that the US military is considering reducing its regional presence in the Middle East once the conflict concludes, with the policy office, Central Command, and the Joint Staff reviewing troop deployments that have faced months of attacks from Iranian forces since late February. While US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not ordered a formal review, defense officials indicated that future structural adjustments across the Persian Gulf remain under evaluation.
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