Day 175 | US pushes allies, China to back Trump's economic war on Iran

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Read more: Day 176 | Key Iranian trading partner China rejects Trump’s ‘economic D-Day’ threat

The commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ahmad Vahidi, has described the continuation of the country’s “Strategy of Defensive and Offensive Empowerment” as the only “intelligent and efficient solution” to current threats.

In a message to Iran’s defense minister marking National Defense Industry Day, Vahidi said the battlefield now faces “new forms of combined and military aggression.”

He said Iran had established a “solid defensive shield” against threats from its enemies and praised the country’s defense industry for developing what he called its “defensive and offensive capabilities and deterrent power” despite years of sanctions.

Vahidi said strengthening Iran’s military capabilities remains essential as the country faces what he described as increasingly complex forms of aggression.

NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, US General Alexus Grynkewich, met with allied defense chiefs this week to discuss support for protecting commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Officials stressed that the initiative does not amount to a formal NATO deployment. Instead, the alliance is helping individual member states coordinate their own efforts while keeping NATO itself outside the US-‘Israel’ war with Iran.

The United Kingdom and France are separately leading a group of about 12 countries preparing to protect merchant vessels once tensions ease.

The Strait of Hormuz previously carried around one-fifth of the world’s traded oil before shipments halted in February.

Any lasting arrangement to keep the strategic waterway open, however, is expected to require Iran’s agreement.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who also serves as the country’s chief negotiator, said Tehran does not interfere in Iraq’s internal affairs and would support any agreement reached between Iraqi factions and the government.

Ghalibaf’s remarks come as Baghdad moves to bring all paramilitary groups under formal state security structures and end the existence of independent arsenals.

Iraq has set September 30 as the deadline for armed factions to integrate into state security institutions and surrender weapons outside government control.

The push intensified after joint US-Saudi air attacks in July targeted militia headquarters across Iraq following drone attacks reportedly launched from Iraqi territory against Saudi oil infrastructure and US forces.

Most of the factions involved are Shia groups, with some maintaining close ties to Iran.

Several groups, including Saraya al-Salam, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib al-Imam Ali, have signaled their readiness to place their forces under official state command.

However, Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba have rejected full disarmament, arguing that their weapons are necessary for what they describe as resistance against potential foreign attacks.

Iran has finalized a preferential trade agreement with Oman as Tehran seeks to strengthen regional trade ties amid increasing US economic pressure.

Abdolamir Rabihavi, head of the West Asia Office at Iran’s Trade Promotion Organisation, told state news agency IRNA that the agreement is expected to be reviewed by parliament next month.

Rabihavi said significant progress has also been made in developing border and port infrastructure to boost trade with neighboring countries.

“With the actions taken over the past two years, the organisation is determined to facilitate and increase trade exchanges with regional countries,” he said.

The move comes as US President Donald Trump intensifies economic pressure on Iran. Trump has described his campaign as “economic D-Day” and warned that countries doing business with Tehran could face severe economic consequences.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has rejected US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose the “most crushing economic operation ever” against Iran, saying the latest pressure campaign is also “doomed to failure.”

“This repetitive film is also doomed to failure,” Araghchi said.

He pointed to previous US efforts to pressure Tehran, recalling that Washington threatened “the most crippling sanctions in history” around 2010–2012. The sanctions targeted Iran’s financial sector and oil exports in an effort to force Tehran back to negotiations.

Araghchi also referenced Trump’s 2018 decision to withdraw the US from the Iran nuclear deal and the subsequent US campaign of “maximum pressure.”

He further criticized Washington’s promises of securing “unconditional surrender” from Iran after the US launched its joint war with ‘Israel’ earlier this year.

“Today: ‘The most devastating economic operation in history.’ This too is doomed to failure,” Araghchi said. “We’ve seen this movie before; the same old story, just with different bullies.”

Iranian lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian has rejected calls for peace, saying that such calls under the current circumstances amount to surrender.

“What those who talk about peace in these circumstances mean is surrender,” Nabavian wrote in a post on X.

The member of Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission claimed that Washington and ‘Israel’ initiated the war while negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program were underway.

Nabavian argued that Iran was not responsible for starting the war and was instead acting in self-defense.

• Baghdad pushes dialogue to bring weapons under state control.
• Iraq warns Hormuz closure has slashed oil exports.
• Al-Zaidi says Iraq will not become a battleground.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced that the government has no intention of entering into a military clash with armed factions, confirming ongoing constructive dialogue aimed at restricting all weapons exclusively to state authority.

Addressing national security efforts, Prime Minister al-Zaidi revealed that key progress has been made as several armed groups have voluntarily relinquished their arms, severed independent ties, and integrated into the official framework of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

The head of government noted that all political forces in Iraq stand united on the goal of bringing weapons under state control, with active work underway to establish clear mechanisms for surrendering arms.

Hormuz closure cripples oil exports 

Turning to economic challenges, Prime Minister al-Zaidi highlighted the severe impact of regional instability, specifically pointing to the closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz as a major crisis facing the nation.

Alternative export routes were described as modest and "patchwork" solutions, with current oil export volumes dropping to approximately 10% of pre-crisis capacity.

On domestic policy, Prime Minister al-Zaidi reaffirmed an unyielding commitment to fighting corruption, noting that the administration continues to enjoy broad backing across the political spectrum.

Reiterating Iraq's diplomatic role amid heightened regional volatility, Prime Minister al-Zaidi emphasized that the nation will not allow itself to be dragged into external proxy conflicts

• Beirut pushes unified army, state authority.
• Lebanon rejects sectarianism, backs army unity.
• Beirut demands full 'Israeli' withdrawal, prisoner return.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam delivered a series of official declarations emphasizing the necessity of extending full state sovereignty across the southern region to guarantee security for all citizens.

Reaffirming the government's constitutional foundation, Prime Minister Salam declared that the administration remains dedicated to building a state loyal to the constitution and the National Accord Document.

The leadership emphasized that international diplomatic channels remain open to bolster national defense institutions, with the government continuing to mobilize Arab and international support to develop the capabilities of the army.

Calls for army cohesion

Prime Minister Salam underscored that the identity of the military reflects the singular identity of a unified Lebanon, urging national vigilance against internal division.

Addressing national sacrifices, Prime Minister Salam asserted that the best tribute to fallen martyrs is to build a state of strong institutions for their children, stressing that security sovereignty must be consolidated economically and socially.

In closing, Prime Minister Salam pledged full government support to provide all necessary elements for the military's success, promising unsparing efforts to achieve a complete 'Israeli' withdrawal and secure the return of Lebanese prisoners to their cities and villages.

An anonymous Trump administration official, quoted by the Washington Post, said that Iran is “completely broke”, adding that there are “many levers the president can crank harder in the weeks and months ahead”.

The news comes after Trump announced a new campaign to isolate the Iranian economy, with the Treasury Secretary saying that Washington would "collapse this regime" in Tehran.

"Any remaining tie to Tehran will hasten a nation's economic oblivion, whether that tie be purposefully constructed or willfully ignored," Scott Bessent said on X.

Iran branded the US threats as "economic terrorism" and said they would fail.

"We're kind of now in a new phase where the most effective tool that we have is the economic pressure that we can apply to them," Vice President JD Vance also told a conservative podcast.

"This is a delicate dance because" Iran will "try to apply economic pressure to us."

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Read more: Day 174 | Iran warns Gulf countries against helping US after UAE cuts trade ties