TEHRAN — Iran will apply the lessons of the past year to any future conflict and change the way it conducts war, while warning neighboring countries that joining a U.S.-led economic campaign could trigger retaliation against their interests and oil-export routes.
Major General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the country’s defense strategy has evolved through the recent war and that Iran today is fundamentally different from the country that entered the war.
“We will certainly use all the experiences of the past year in the next battle, and the next war will certainly be different from the third imposed war,” Rezaei said, adding that Iran will “certainly make changes in the way the war is managed.”
The remarks, made in an interview broadcast by Iran’s national television,
 come as Tehran faces renewed U.S. economic pressure following the collapse of a June understanding and Washington’s efforts to isolate Iran economically. 
Rezaei’s warning extended the confrontation beyond military operations, placing regional oil routes, neighboring states and the wider global energy system within the potential consequences of the standoff.
Rezaei said Iran has undergone a process of continuous defense and political evolution, stating g that the recent war has altered both Tehran’s assessment of the United States and the way other countries view Iran.
“Iran today is not the Iran before the war,” he said, adding that the same is true of the United States, whose image among young Iranians has changed.
He also said Iran’s diplomatic approach will require adjustments after repeated negotiations with Washington have been followed by American violations of commitments.
“After several rounds of negotiations and American breaches of their commitments, there must be reforms in the diplomatic behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran toward the world,” Rezaei said.
The sharpest part of Rezaei’s remarks concerned the possibility that neighboring countries could cooperate with Washington’s campaign to restrict Iran’s economy.
He said Tehran does not seek to expand the war but warned that countries joining the U.S. economic campaign will be treated as enemies.
“We tell all neighboring countries not to participate in the economic war with the Americans; otherwise, we will consider them enemies,” he said.
“First, we negotiate with them so that they do not do this, and if they continue, we will target that country.”
Rezaei went further, warning that Iran could prevent oil from leaving the Persian Gulf if regional states became participants in the economic campaign.
“If they start such a thing, we will not allow a single drop of oil to pass through the Persian Gulf,” he said, adding that Iran could also target other routes through which Persian Gulf oil is exported.
The warning is particularly significant because Washington has been pressing other governments to join the terrorist campaign to isolate Iran economically, while regional governments and international energy markets remain deeply exposed to the unresolved confrontation around the Strait of Hormuz.
Rezaei said Iran would initially seek to prevent neighboring states from joining the campaign through negotiations, but would respond if they proceeded.
“We do not seek to expand the war,” he said. “But if neighboring countries join the economic war with the Americans, we will strike their interests.”
Rezaei separately said the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and will not reopen until Washington changes its behavior and fulfilled its commitments.
“The Strait of Hormuz, despite the Americans’ claims, is closed and will not open until America changes its behavior,” he said. “This time, America must first fulfill its commitments.”
The statement places control of the waterway at the center of Tehran’s broader confrontation with Washington, linking its reopening directly to U.S. actions rather than treating passage through the strait solely as a maritime or commercial question.
Rezaei said Iran has more than half of the Persian Gulf’s coastline and therefore should manage the strategic waterway.
Rezaei stated that Washington has become increasingly reliant on economic pressure after losing confidence in military action.
“The Americans are completely disappointed with the military attacks and think they can help military actions through an economic blockade,” he said.
He dismissed the renewed economic pressure as something Iran has not encountered before.
“This is what Trump has started under the title of economic war — what does he want to do that he has not done before?” Rezaei said, pointing to sanctions and previous attempts to restrict Iranian oil exports.
He said that Iran has continued exporting oil despite the pressure, saying approximately 70 million barrels had been shipped during the previous one or two months. “We have sent 70 million barrels of oil in the past month or two,” he said.
Rezaei repeatedly returned to the lessons of the recent war, saying the changes will not be confined to weapons or battlefield tactics.
“There will be transformation in the way we manage the war, in diplomacy and in political and social issues, and new capabilities will come into the field,” he said.
He also attributed part of Iran’s performance during the war to national unity, saying its effect has been comparable to military capabilities.
“The effect of the unity of the Iranian people against the enemy is no less than the effect of the launchers,” Rezaei said.
He said that Iran has learned from the experience of the war in several interconnected areas, including military organization, diplomacy and domestic mobilization.
The security chief also made a broader observation about the consequences of the war for the international nuclear order.
He said the U.S. attack on Iran has increased interest in nuclear weapons among people around the world, stating that countries could conclude that joining international nuclear institutions and accepting inspections does not necessarily protect them from military attack.
“Trump’s stupidity in attacking Iran increased people’s desire around the world for a nuclear bomb,” Rezaei said.
He said Iran has accepted international safeguards and belonged to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, yet has still been subjected to military attack. “Trump, instead of nuclear security, has created nuclear insecurity,” he said.
Rezaei said Iran has gone beyond its international obligations in accepting nuclear inspections, while the experience has raised questions about the effectiveness of existing mechanisms for preventing military conflict over nuclear programs.
Rezaei also indicated that Iran has so far deliberately avoided attacking American economic interests despite targeting U.S. military facilities.
“We have so far not attacked any American economic interests,” he said. “Yes, we struck American bases.” He warned that this could change if Washington intensified economic pressure.
“If they want to impose an economic blockade on us, the United States has oil and economic companies around us and elsewhere, and we will strike them,” he said in remarks reported from the interview.
He said Iranian forces remain prepared for operations but emphasized that Tehran is proceeding gradually.
“Our brothers are ready for operations, but we are moving with a rational and logical slope,” he said, expressing hope that Washington will end its hostile actions before Iran reaches a further stage.
Rezaei also outlined Iran’s response to economic pressure as part  a broader national effort rather than simply a matter of oil exports or sanctions.
He called on young Iranians to enter economic activity and said the country was preparing a national economic-security document at the Supreme National Security Council.
“Every neighborhood can be a base for missile warfare in the economic war,” he said.
He said the objective is to provide businesses and the private sector with sufficient confidence to continue operating without concern over the external pressures facing Iran.
“The goal is for businesses and the private sector to pursue the country’s economic path with confidence and without concern about their activities,” Rezaei said.
He said Iran will continue resisting external pressure while adapting its military, diplomatic and economic strategy to the experience of the recent conflict.
“The flag of the Iranian nation is raised and will remain raised,” he said. “Trump and Netanyahu cannot do anything.”