The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned that it will prevent oil shipments from leaving the region if military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran continue.
U.S. president Donald Trump responded by warning Iran of severe consequences — including “death, fire, and fury” — if it attempts to disrupt shipping through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
“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 an online statement.
Global oil prices fell in early Asian trading on Tuesday after surging to nearly $120 per barrel a day earlier.
The pullback followed comments from Trump, who suggested the war with Iran could end “pretty quickly,” though he added that the United States had not yet “won enough.”
Earlier, Trump indicated that U.S. military operations against Iran might be nearing their conclusion, saying: “I think the war is very complete, pretty much.”
The Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps responded to Trump’s comments that the war in Iran would end soon, saying that they will “determine the end of the war”.
Tehran will not allow “one litre of oil” to be exported from the region if the US and Israeli attacks continue, the IRGC says, according to a Reuters report.
Iran earlier mocked the US over the surging oil price, branding its campaign “Operation Epic Mistake”.
Meanwhile, in Australia, five members of the Iran women’s national football team have been granted humanitarian visas after their exit from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
In the United Kingdom, Defence Secretary John Healey said a drone that struck a British military base in Cyprus last week was launched from either Lebanon or Iraq.
