Mohsen Rezaei, the recently appointed secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Counci

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Mohsen Rezaei, the recently appointed secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Iranian state-run media that any nation joining Washington’s economic sanctions campaign against Tehran will be considered an enemy. He also threatened that Iran will do whatever it can to fully stop energy exports from the region, signaling that Tehran is doubling down on its most powerful remaining leverage: squeezing the global oil market to extract a more favorable deal with the Trump administration.

“If they start such an action, we will not allow a single drop of oil to pass through the Persian Gulf. Oil will leave neither through the Strait of Hormuz nor through the Persian Gulf,” he said.

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Mr. Rezaei, widely viewed as a hard-liner whose appointment signals a tougher Iranian stance against the U.S. and other Persian Gulf states, specifically warned that Tehran could target other oil-shipping routes outside the region.

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Top leaders of the Iranian government acknowledge that the situation cannot last. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told state media Sunday that his nation must get out of the economic crisis.

“Capital and money are extremely sensitive to risk,” Mr. Pezeshkian said. “We have to remove this risk from the country.”

Mr. Pezeshkian’s comments underscore what appears to be a growing split within the Iranian government over how to handle negotiations with the U.S. Some favor diplomacy, and others are more willing to escalate militarily or otherwise lash out against America and its allies.

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