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Iran warned it could block crude oil exports from the Middle East if the U.S. and Israel continue their attacks, according to a spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Gen. Ali-Mohammed Naeini said the measure could be taken if strikes on Iran and its infrastructure persist.
“If aggression by the U.S. military and the Zionist regime against Iran and its infrastructure continues, the armed forces of the Islamic Republic will not allow the export of even one liter of oil from the region to the hostile side and its partners until further notice,” Naeini said, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
He said trade during wartime depends on security conditions.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route bordering Iran, has declined sharply.
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, traffic through the waterway dropped 95% in the first week of March.
About one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the strait.
Threats to target cargo ships have also affected the cost of maritime transit, with insurers canceling war-risk coverage and safe passage costs increasing.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran not to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Iran would face severe consequences if it tried to block the waterway.
He wrote that Iran would be hit “20 times harder than they have been hit thus far” if it inhibits shipping through the strait.
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