Iran Threatens to Halt Oil Exports Through Hormuz
Iran has issued a stark warning that it could halt all oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf if the United States continues its economic war against Tehran. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, posted on social media platform X that "if the economic war continues, not a single drop of oil will be exported, neither through the Strait of Hormuz nor from anywhere in the Persian Gulf."
Rezaei also declared that Iran would consider any country's participation in or support for America's economic war against the Iranian people as an act of war, as reported by multiple outlets. This warning comes amid heightened tensions over Washington's plans to impose tougher economic measures against Tehran.
Iran's Official Responses
In the wake of President Donald Trump's threat of fresh economic sanctions, Iranian officials have sought to present a united front. Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf ridiculed the US on Sunday, using satirical commentary on X to argue that heavy-handed restrictions backfire. According to several reports, Ghalibaf shared a sarcastic post and a four-panel comic strip illustrating the concept of the "Iran boomerang." The meme depicts a character throwing a giant boomerang labelled "the most crushing economic operation ever," only for the weapon to loop back and strike the thrower, mocking the perceived backfiring effects of US sanctions.
IRGC Spokesperson Sardar Mohebi asserted that Washington's reliance on economic warfare is a tacit admission of "humiliating defeat" on the military front. According to IRIB, Mohebi said: "The US President says that he has ordered economic warfare and has launched the most severe economic war against Iran. This is a tacit admission of the enemy's humiliating defeat in the military arena." He noted that economic war is nothing new, as Iran has faced restrictions on its core sectors for decades.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also criticized the US sanctions threat, saying that war and sanctions are "not unfamiliar" to Iran, and noted that the country has been under sanctions for 20 years, as reported by several outlets.
Impact on Global Oil Flows
The Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that carried about a fifth of global energy supplies before the conflict, has already seen most traffic stopped due to Iranian attacks and threats. The Hindustan Times reported that oil prices fell after two weeks of gains, with Brent slipping to around $93 a barrel and WTI near $86, while oil has gained more than 50% this year amid the conflict. India TV News noted that nearly one-fifth of global crude transits through Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump announced sweeping sanctions, as reported by Hindustan Times. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: "Today, I am announcing the most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country. This will be economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was quoted as saying: "We are now entering the endgame. At dawn begins an economic D-Day -- the single greatest financial offensive ever marshaled against an adversary." He also accused Iran of treating security guarantees as a form of "extortion."
India TV News also reported that the Strait has remained under a blockade since the conflict began on February 28, and Trump had previously claimed the waterway was open. Iranian officials have said Tehran would not reopen it until certain conditions are met.
According to Kurdistan24, US naval forces have been enforcing restrictions on commercial vessels linked to Iran, with CENTCOM reporting that 70 ships have been redirected since enforcement began in July. The article also referred to designation of more than 180 vessels, ship management firms, and front companies in the UAE and other maritime hubs.
Some coverage disputed the day of the warning: one source described Rezaei's statement as made on Sunday, while others cited Monday. There are also some uncertainties about the timeframe of the events.
Escalation Concerns and Regional Reactions
Even as Iran restates its hard line, tensions remain high. Some outlets noted that Houthi allies have restricted Red Sea shipping, and Chinese shipping companies are rerouting away from the region, according to industry sources. Further attacks, such as one off Yanbu on Monday or a drone strike near the Suez Canal in early August, could raise oil market anxiety, as reported by The Straits Times.
Iran has also threatened to retaliate against neighbors with "earthquake" force, according to The Straits Times and Jerusalem Post. Other concerning dimensions included discussions between Iran and Oman over safe passage, with Trump threatening to bomb Oman if it got in the way, according to India TV News. That threat has not drawn a public response from the Omani side.
Much of the reporting frames the latest threats as a direct response to US economic measures, with Iran presumably intent on maintaining its strategic card.