Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Iran has warned that it would not allow even “one litre of oil” to be shipped from the Middle East if the attacks continued, hours after US President Donald Trump threatened to take over the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the global oil supply flows, has become a focal point of the conflict in the Middle East, which has now entered its second week.
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In an explosive interview with CBS News on Monday, Trump said that if Tehran interfered with global oil flows, it would be the “end of Iran”.
“They have shot everything they have to shoot, and they better not try anything cute, or it’s going to be the end of that country. If they do anything bad, that would be the end of Iran, and you’d never hear the name again,” Trump said as the conflict in the Middle East entered its second week.
“The Strait of Hormuz is open now,” Trump said, adding that he was “thinking about taking it over”.
The Strait of Hormuz, located between Oman and Iran, is a vital transit route for global energy markets. The conflict has effectively brought commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to a halt, disrupting global oil flows and driving up crude prices.
Trump’s warning came hours after Iran’s Foreign Ministry said oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz “must be very careful”.
Previously, the US President has warned Iran that it would be hit “20 times harder” if Tehran disrupted oil shipments through the strait.
“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the US twenty times harder than they have been hit thus far,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
However, Trump’s warnings have done little to deter Iran. On Tuesday, the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it would not allow any oil to leave the region if attacks from the US and Israel continued.
“We are the ones who will determine the end of the war,” Iran’s state media quoted an IRGC spokesperson as saying.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
