Tehran:
Tehran has responded to US President Donald Trump’s remark about ending the war in Iran, saying it will be the one who will “determine” when the military actions against American and Israeli targets cease. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stressed that equations and the future status of the region are now in the hands of Tehran’s forces.
The development came in response to Trump’s statement in which he said that the conflict in Iran would end “soon.”
What Iran Said
“It is we who will determine the end of the war,” the IRGC said in a statement.
“The equations and future status of the region are now in the hands of our armed forces; American forces will not end the war,” it added.
Trump’s Remarks
Trump has said that the war against Iran could be short-lived, but he left open the possibility of an escalation in fighting if global oil supplies are disrupted by the Islamic Republic, which chose a new hard-line supreme leader.
“We took a little excursion to the Middle East to get rid of some evil. And, I think you’ll see it’s going to be a short-term excursion,” Trump told Republican lawmakers at his golf club near Miami.
Hours later, the US commander-in-chief posted on social media: “If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.”
“Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again — Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them — But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen! This is a gift from the United States of America to China, and all of those Nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait. Hopefully, it is a gesture that will be greatly appreciated,” he added.
The war in Iran has choked off major supplies of oil and gas to world markets and sent fuel prices rising across the US. Oil prices briefly shot to their highest level since 2022, a day after Iran selected Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his late father as Iran’s supreme leader. Investors saw it as a signal that Iran was digging in 10 days into the war launched by the United States and Israel.
But prices later fell, and US stocks rose on hopes that the war with Iran may not last much longer.
Trump also had a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday to discuss the war and other issues. Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said Putin “voiced a few ideas regarding a quick political and diplomatic settlement” of the conflict following his conversations with Gulf leaders and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Oil Risks
The conflict in Iran has disrupted the Gulf energy infrastructure, which is crucial for the world economy. Diplomatic efforts across the globe are focused on the highly strategic Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked to nearly all oil tankers — sending shockwaves across the global economy. French President Emmanuel Macron said his country and its allies were working on a “purely defensive” mission to reopen the strait, through which nearly 20 per cent of the world’s crude oil usually transits.
About 10 vessels in or near the Iran-controlled Strait of Hormuz have come under attack since Tehran blocked the waterway in retaliation for the US-Israeli strikes, according to a report by news agency AFP.
Global shipping giant MSC announced it was formally halting some export shipments from the Gulf, meaning goods sitting on ships would be unloaded.
Following strikes on Bahrain’s Al Ma’ameer oil facility that ignited a fire, the country’s state-owned energy company, Bapco, joined its counterparts in Qatar and Kuwait in declaring “force majeure” — a warning that events beyond its control may lead it to miss export targets.
The Saudi defence ministry said on Monday it had thwarted a drone attack targeting an oil field in the kingdom’s east, near the Emirati border.
