Iran threatens Gulf states over US sanctions as Trump claims the Strait of Hormuz

Escalation over economic sanctions

Tehran warned on 22 August 2026 that it will treat any nation collaborating with US sanctions as an active enemy. Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, delivered the warning on state television after Washington announced an intensification of economic measures. US President Donald Trump termed the initiative an "economic D-Day," describing it as the most crushing economic operation ever launched against any country. Iranian daily newspapers Hamshahri and Jame-Jam responded with front-page coverage depicting the measures as an empty threat. Rezaei stated that Tehran would target the commercial and security interests of neighboring Gulf states if they assist Washington in enforcing restrictions.

Any country that participates in the imposition of economic restrictions against Iran is considered an enemy.

Territorial claims over the Strait of Hormuz

The dispute coincides with repeated assertions by Donald Trump claiming maritime control over the Strait of Hormuz. On 22 August 2026, Trump published a map on Truth Social labeling the waterway as new American territory. Trump previously suggested declaring the strait US territory during an event in New York on 14 August, repeated the concept on 17 August by claiming total control, and published similar statements on 18 August. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected the statements, replying on 15 August that the waterway could not be conquered with a tweet, before warning on 18 August that American illusions regarding the strait would be corrected.

Not a single drop of oil will leave the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

Maritime transit and sanctions enforcement

The diplomatic standoff follows the expiration of an inconclusive 60-day negotiation period established under a June memorandum between Washington and Tehran. In the night between 21 and 22 August 2026, nearly 40 tankers carrying an estimated 16 million barrels moved in and out of the strait through its deepest channel. The US deployment escorted commercial vessels while Washington prepared sanctions targeting shadow-fleet networks, port authorities, and intermediaries facilitating payments in Chinese yuan. The economic measures aim to deter regional neighbors including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman from reaching separate compromises with Tehran to secure passage.

Military posture and domestic arms production

Iranian authorities announced organizational adjustments across their armed forces in response to the pressure. Iranian Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia announced that military doctrine has moved from a defensive posture to an offensive one, noting that any future response to aggression would exceed the scale of the initial attack. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian convened Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei to coordinate government policy against foreign economic pressure. Brigadier General Reza Talaei-Nik, spokesman for the Defense Ministry, reported that domestic arms and ammunition production doubled from July 2025 to July 2026, with production of selected priority weapons tripling during 40 days of conflict.

The pace of our defense armament production has doubled over the past year, from July of last year to July of this year.