from AZADEH AKBAR in Tehran, Iran
Special contributor
TEHRAN, (CAJ News) — IRAN has warned neighbouring states against joining what it describes as an American “economic war”, arguing that countries which participate in Washington’s campaign should expect consequences.
The warning comes after months of military confrontation, sanctions and growing pressure from the United States.
Mohsen Rezai, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Tehran would initially seek dialogue rather than confrontation with countries cooperating with Washington.
“Any country that participates in imposing economic restrictions on us will be considered an enemy,” Rezai said, adding that Iran would first attempt to dissuade them through diplomatic means – meetings and persuasion.
“If they do not agree, we will strike at the interests of that country. Why? Because they have decided to join the Americans,” the Iranian official stated.
To understand Iran’s increasingly forceful response, it is important to consider Tehran’s stated perception that it is responding to sustained American warmongering rather than initiating the confrontation.
US President Donald Trump has described Washington’s campaign as “the most crushing economic operation ever”, calling it economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has meanwhile remained central to Tehran’s diplomatic messaging, with Iranian officials insisting that negotiations remain possible if Washington fulfils its commitments.
Rezai has said Araghchi has conveyed Iran’s conditions to the United States.
Iran’s willingness to escalate after an attack can therefore be understood as an attempt at deterrence: Tehran seeks to make further military or economic pressure sufficiently costly that Washington and its partners reconsider confrontation.
The vulnerability of the US military posture in the Gulf also demonstrates the limits of relying on force.
Months of Iranian strikes have damaged major American installations, prompting the Pentagon to examine whether a smaller regional footprint is necessary.
Some US forces and aircraft have been relocated to less exposed positions, while damaged bases face difficult questions over reconstruction.
Diplomacy offers a different calculation.
Negotiations can protect civilians, restore trade, reduce energy-market shocks and create mechanisms for resolving disputes without continually expanding the battlefield.
The current push for diplomatic engagement, including mediation involving Oman and Qatar, shows that even amid profound hostility, channels for dialogue remain possible.
For Iran and its neighbours, diplomacy is therefore not surrender.
It is a means of protecting sovereignty, preventing wider destruction and achieving security without paying the potentially devastating price of another prolonged war.
– CAJ News