After Iran security affairs chief Mohsen Rezaee said any future war would be "different," Sultan Barakat, a public policy professor at Hamad bin Khalifa University, said Rezaee was issuing a warning to neighboring states rather than seeking deterrence. Barakat said many neighbors are sympathetic to Iran and that some are likely not to comply with US sanctions and will try to circumvent the new measures, adding Iran cannot afford an economic war with all partners. He warned US sanctions could "se

After Iran security affairs chief Mohsen Rezaee said any future war would be "different," Sultan Barakat, a public policy professor at Hamad bin Khalifa University, said Rezaee was issuing a warning to neighboring states rather than seeking deterrence. Barakat said many neighbors are sympathetic to Iran and that some are likely not to comply with US sanctions and will try to circumvent the new measures, adding Iran cannot afford an economic war with all partners. He warned US sanctions could "seriously backfire" on Washington, comparing potential fallout to threats to close the Strait of Hormuz.