Thursday, September 24, 2026

Iranian security chief: "If you block our aircraft, airports in neighboring countries will also be paralyzed... Seven conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz must be accepted"

Input
2026-09-24 01:09:49
Updated
2026-09-24 01:09:49
Mohsen Rezaee, secretary-general of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) /Photo=Yonhap News Agency

[Financial News] Mohsen Rezaee, secretary-general of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), has warned neighboring countries that assist U.S. aviation sanctions against Iran and hinder Iranian aircraft operations that they will face strong retaliation. He also reiterated the preconditions for lifting the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and made a series of hard-line remarks toward the United States.
On the 23rd (local time), Rezaee told Iran's state-run IRIB broadcaster in an interview regarding the U.S. sanctions, "Neighboring countries must not interfere with Iranian flight operations and should not get drawn into the United States' game."
He continued, "If they intervene, we will restrict flights operated by aircraft from neighboring countries cooperating with the United States. If Iranian aircraft are barred from operating, flights to and from your airports will also be suspended," he warned.
The United States previously imposed sanctions on Iran's aviation industry. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had warned that foreign companies providing Iranian airlines with fuel, landing services, ground handling, or ticket sales would also be subject to secondary sanctions (third-party sanctions). As a result, flights from Iran to Baghdad, Iraq, and Muscat, Oman, have been canceled altogether since the previous day, and air connections in neighboring countries are being shut down one after another.
Rezaee also urged the United States to change its stance on transit through the Strait of Hormuz. He stressed that Iran's "seven preconditions" must be fulfilled before the strait can be fully reopened, stating, "Dialogue and negotiations have gone on long enough. It is time to take action. If the United States does not fulfill Iran's conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will never be opened." He added, "We will not return to the Islamabad agreement or the diplomacy of the past."
That day, Rezaee raised the pressure on all fronts while boasting of achievements in the recent armed conflict with the United States. He claimed, "For the first time in history, we succeeded in hitting the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington with an anti-ship missile, and Iran is the first country to shoot down F-35 fighter jets and airborne early warning and control aircraft." He continued, "The United States tried to destroy Iran, but Iran is still standing firm," and declared, "No one now sees the United States as a superpower."
He also launched a fierce attack on U.S. President Donald Trump, who strongly criticized Iran in a speech to the UN General Assembly. Rezaee said, "Trump's recent UN speech was nothing more than an excuse from a failed criminal," and criticized him, saying, "The very fact that all of his remarks revolve around Iran proves that Iran has become the United States' biggest problem." He added, "Trump's policies have exacted a huge price from the United States, and even within the United States, he is experiencing the steepest decline in approval ratings of any president in history." 

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