August 23, 2026 | 11:23 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Iran on Saturday warned countries against joining the United States' campaign to isolate the Iranian economy.
"We declare to all countries... do not join the economic war waged by the United States," said Mohsen Rezaei, 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.
As the war nears its six-month anniversary, US President Donald Trump announced earlier this week what he called the "most crushing economic operation" against Tehran.
Should Trump "take action, our confrontation will be like an earthquake," said Rezaei.
US urges others to back Iran sanctions
Washington has also called on other governments to join its efforts to ramp up economic pressure against Iran.
But China, one of Iran's top strategic partners, has criticized the new campaign, arguing that "sanctions and pressure will not help resolve the issue."
"China calls on all relevant parties to take responsible measures and resolve the problem through political and diplomatic means," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters on Friday.
The United Arab Emirates, a major trading partner for sanctioned Iran, already announced on Wednesday that it was cutting all financial and economic ties with Tehran until further notice.
The decision was made in "light of escalations that undermine peace and security in the region," the UAE said in a statement.
US tells allies: 'With us or against us'
Talks between Washington and Tehran remain on hold after nearly six months of war since the US and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on February 28.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to hold a press conference at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT) on Monday to give further details of the economic measures against Iran.
"This is going to be the greatest coordinated economic isolation in the history of the world. And we are going to them and saying you are either with us or against us,” Bessent said.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has faced almost 50 years of near-continuous economic sanctions.
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