Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated after US President Donald Trump issued a strong warning to Tehran over the security of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route.
In a statement, Trump cautioned that if Iran takes any action that disrupts the flow of oil through the strait, the United States would respond with overwhelming force. He said Iran would be hit “twenty times harder” than previous strikes and warned that American forces could target facilities that would make it extremely difficult for Iran to rebuild.
The US President also described maintaining the flow of oil through the strategic waterway as a “gift” to countries that rely heavily on the route for energy supplies, including China and several other nations.
Trump added that he hoped such a scenario would not arise and expressed his wish to avoid further escalation.
Iran responded sharply to the remarks. Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the Iranian people would not be intimidated by what he described as “hollow threats.”
In posts on X written in Persian and Arabic, Larijani said even stronger powers had failed to eliminate Iran, warning the US to “be careful not to disappear instead.”
