Iran’s new top security official has issued a warning to neighboring countries against participating in new US efforts to impose economic pressure on Tehran. Mohsen Rezaei, the recently appointed leader of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, stated that if neighbors join what he described as an economic war, Iran would consider them enemies and target their interests.
Rezaei’s remarks, made in an interview with state broadcaster IRIB, are his most extensive public statement since his appointment this month. His appointment is widely seen as a hardening of Tehran’s political and military stance. He indicated that Iran would target oil-shipping routes outside the Persian Gulf, which are alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz, if economic measures are pursued by neighboring states. Discussions with Oman regarding the management of the Strait of Hormuz are ongoing, and fees would be imposed, according to Rezaei. Iran asserted control over the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway, shortly after the US and Israel attacked on February 28.
US President Donald Trump has previously pledged to escalate economic pressure and isolation on Iran. Rezaei also cautioned the US against deploying additional military personnel to the region and asserted that the US has increased nuclear insecurity globally by demonstrating that participation in international monitoring efforts does not prevent attacks.
In other regional developments, Egypt is attempting to restart negotiations between Iran and the US to resolve the conflict. The foreign ministers of Egypt and Iran discussed these efforts, with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi briefing his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, on Iran’s perspective on ongoing developments and negotiation challenges.
Meanwhile, Iraq and Iran have confirmed that Tehran has facilitated the transit of some ships carrying Iraqi oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Iraqi President Nizar Amidi stated that there is facilitation for some Iraqi oil ships, noting that Iraq lacks a national oil carrier. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency also reported that a number of Iraqi oil tankers have been permitted to transit, though details on the number of ships or any reciprocal arrangements were not provided.
Israel has conducted strikes in Syria and Gaza. A Syrian state news agency reported that an Israeli drone strike wounded one person in the southwestern Syrian village of Beit Jin, with Syria’s foreign ministry calling it a flagrant violation of sovereignty. The Israeli military stated it targeted a terrorist advancing terror attacks. In central Gaza, an Israeli strike on a house killed one Palestinian and wounded another. Israel’s military identified the target as Sharif al-Hasanat, a Hamas commander involved in terror attacks and restoring Hamas’s underground infrastructure.
Regarding the Golan Heights, US Ambassador Tom Barrack stated that Israel continues to occupy the territory in violation of UN resolutions. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz criticized Barrack’s comments as inaccurate and contradictory to Trump’s position. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed it in 1981, a move not recognized by the UN, which considers it occupied Syrian land. However, in March 2019, Trump signed a proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are expected to discuss plans for alternative routes to the Strait of Hormuz during the Saudi leader’s visit to Paris. Proposals include increasing trade through Omani ports, expanding pipelines in Saudi Arabia, and developing new rail links. A joint French-Saudi task force on energy and logistics connections between the Middle East and Europe is scheduled to meet to identify strategic projects, secure financing, and define roles for French companies.