Iran warns of "earthquake" retaliation as US expands secondary sanctions

The United States Treasury announced on Monday that it will impose secondary sanctions on entities that help Iran evade existing measures, focusing on digital assets, technology and shipping sectors. The move is part of a broader effort to tighten enforcement of sanctions that have been in place for six months following the start of the conflict involving the US and Israel.

Iran’s foreign ministry responded by warning of reciprocal actions, saying the country could increase attacks on regional oil producers and European nations, and hinted at further weaponisation of its nuclear programme. "We’ve been playing chess for a long time…we’ve also learned to play poker," spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters, adding that Iran is now using a combination of both strategies.

Supreme National Security Council leader Mohsen Rezaei warned that if the economic pressure continues, Iran would halt oil exports from the Strait of Hormuz and elsewhere, describing any retaliation as "earthquake-like." He posted the threat on the social platform X and later reiterated it in a televised interview.

Iran has already disrupted shipping through the Hormuz corridor and its Houthi allies in Yemen have targeted Saudi oil infrastructure in the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf exporters have begun rerouting oil through alternative pipelines and turning off transponders to avoid detection, but Iran has published a list of 45 tankers it deems non-compliant and warned of fines, detention or confiscation.

The foreign ministry also cited US refuelling flights from Bulgaria, a NATO member, as a possible target, stating that Iran has the right to strike the origin of any act it deems aggressive. Rezaei echoed this, saying any country supporting the US economic campaign would be considered an act of war.

In parallel, Iranian lawmakers are debating a bill to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and Rezaei suggested the United States’ actions could push Tehran toward developing a nuclear weapon. Experts noted that Washington’s sanctions and blockade are unlikely to force Iran to change its core demands, and that Tehran will likely combine economic adaptation with threats to regional energy flows to deter further pressure.