Iran threatens to halt all Persian Gulf oil exports, labels US support as act of war

Mohsen Rezaee, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told neighboring Gulf states on August 22 that backing the US economic pressure campaign against Tehran would be treated as an act of war. His warning came with a threat that should sound familiar to anyone who has watched Iran’s geopolitical playbook over the past two decades: close the Strait of Hormuz and ensure “not a single drop of oil” leaves the Persian Gulf.

A chokepoint with global consequences

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that handles roughly 25% of the world’s seaborne crude oil trade. Iran has made variations of this threat before. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf has previously articulated similar warnings about retaliating against Middle Eastern energy exports in response to American sanctions. But the current geopolitical environment makes the rhetoric considerably more dangerous.

The US and Israel launched military strikes against Iran in late February 2026, triggering a chain of escalations that has destabilized the entire region. Iran responded by aggressively asserting control over shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, turning a theoretical threat into something closer to operational reality.

Iran’s oil exports in freefall

Before the conflict escalated earlier this year, Iran was exporting an average of 1.3 to 1.5 million barrels of oil per day. That figure has since cratered to below 300,000 barrels per day at its lowest points, crushed by enforced blockades and operational disruptions tied to US sanctions.

Why Gulf states are caught in the middle

For countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, their economies depend on uninterrupted oil exports flowing through the very waterway Iran is threatening to shut down. Saudi Arabia alone relies on the strait for the vast majority of its seaborne oil exports. A sustained blockade would hammer global supply chains and send energy prices into a spiral that would hurt producers and consumers alike.

China, one of the world’s largest oil importers and historically a significant buyer of Iranian crude, would also feel the impact. The insurance and shipping industries are already on edge, with elevated risk premiums for vessels transiting the strait climbing alongside the broader uncertainty.

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