Iran threatens US economic targets if blockade continues and warns of harsher clash with Israel
Iran's security chief warned the United States that continued sanctions would provoke attacks on its regional economic assets and cautioned that any renewed fighting with Israel could shift to a new, more intense phase.
In an interview, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, declared that U.S. economic pressure would trigger direct retaliation against American assets throughout the Middle East. He added that any future conflict with Israel would evolve into a new, more intense phase, with particular focus on the situation in Lebanon. Rezaei also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of spreading false information about an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump's son, claiming it had unsettled the U.S. president.
On the diplomatic front, Qatar's prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran to discuss security cooperation, a possible temporary navigation corridor in the Strait of Hormuz, and mine-clearing efforts. Both sides expressed a desire to resolve disputes through dialogue rather than force.
Why it matters
The statements signal heightened risk of economic and military escalation between Iran, the US and Israel, affecting regional stability.
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