Iran Threatens Regional Oil Monarchies Over US-Led Economic Warfare

The Iranian government has responded to US President Donald Trump's threat of economic warfare by warning its Gulf Arab neighbors not to participate in the effort. Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, stated that if they do, 'we will consider you an enemy.' This comes after Trump vowed to impose 'economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale' against Iran.

The threat has implications for global energy markets as Iran is capable of disrupting the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. According to Rezaei, if Iran's neighbors join in the economic warfare, 'not a single drop of oil will go out of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.'

The Iranian military has also shifted its doctrine from defensive to offensive, said Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia, spokesman for the Iranian army. This change comes after repeated attacks on Iran, including a recent strike on a covert US base in Jordan.