OfficialMilitary & securityTehran, Iran
Iran's security chief says states joining U.S. sanctions are enemies, threatens Gulf oil
- Mountain Time
- Local time
- 12:20 AM in Tehran, Aug 23
- Where
- Tehran, Iran
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said on state television that 'any country participating in the imposition of economic restrictions against us is considered an enemy' and that Iran would harm its interests. If neighbours joined the U.S. 'economic war,' he said, 'we will not allow a single drop of oil to pass through the Persian Gulf,' and he threatened the alternative routes Gulf states use to export around Hormuz.
Why it matters
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have expanded Red Sea and Gulf of Oman routes to get around Hormuz; Rezaei's threat covers those bypasses too.
Sources (6)
- Associated Pressapnews.comPublished
- Tasnim News Agencytasnimnews.ir
- CBS Newscbsnews.comPublished
- Al Jazeeraaljazeera.comPublished
- CNNcnn.comPublished
- CNN (2)cnn.comPublished
Confidence: Stated by a named government, military, or institution. Not independently confirmed. About confidence labels
Correction
- Corrected the time from 9:23 AM UTC time, Aug 22, 2026 to 12:20 AM Tehran time, Aug 23, 2026; corrected the headline (it read "Iran security chief threatens alternative Gulf oil routes if neighbors join U.S. pressure"); revised the summary; revised the context note; changed the confidence label from reported to official; reclassified it from sanctions to military-statement; updated the sourcing note; merged a duplicate entry into this one ("Rezaei warns neighboring states against supporting U.S. economic sanctions on Iran"); added 4 sources: CBS News, Al Jazeera, CNN. Why and evidence