Iran on Tuesday responded to United States President Donald Trump’s warning that America would strike “twenty times harder” if oil passage through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted.
“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,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani retorted, saying the Strait of Hormuz “will either be a strait of peace and prosperity for all or will be a strait of defeat and suffering for ‘warmongers’.”
Iran has targeted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passage for traded oil, thus sending oil prices soaring and leading to firms halting production over increasing stockpiles.
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Iran has also targeted energy infrastructure in Gulf countries, which has also affected oil reserves and production, in what seems to be a bid to pressure US and Israel to end strikes.
US and Israel had, in a first since the start of the conflict, struck five oil sites in Iran, including a major one in Tehran, on Saturday last week.
‘Gift from US to China, other nations’: Trump
The US President further threatened to “take out easily destroyable targets”, stating that it would be “virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again.”
Trump in the post warned that “death, fire and fury will reign” upon Tehran if the oil trade through Strait of Hormuz is affected, while also alleging that this was a “gift from the United States to China” and other nations.
“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,” the US President said, adding that he is hopeful that the “gesture…will be greatly appreciated.”
Trump, who had earlier said that the war could last a month or even longer, on Tuesday signalled that it might end soon, while taking saying it was “going to be a short-term excursion.”
