Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) insists it will not allow "one litre of oil" to be shipped from the Middle East if US and Israeli strikes continue, after US President Donald Trump made conflicting remarks about how long the war could last.
Speaking at a news conference in Florida, Mr Trump said the war would end “very soon” because Iran had lost everything, but warned the US would keep “hitting them very hard” and could even take control of the Strait of Hormuz.
“Look, everything they have is gone, including their leadership," Mr Trump told journalists when asked how long the war would last. “Very soon,” he added, insisting that the US was ahead of its initial timeline “by a lot". He repeatedly said that Iran's military capabilities had declined significantly.
The IRGC responded by saying it would not allow even "one litre of oil" to leave the region if attacks continue. "We are the ones who will determine the end of the war," a spokesperson said, according to state media.
Kamal Kharazi, foreign policy advisor to the office of the supreme leader, told CNN that the regime can continue with the war for a long time, and he doesn’t see "room for diplomacy" anymore. “It is an existential threat to the Islamic Republic, and therefore we have to stay with full might, as we are doing now," he said.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also called US strikes a "failure" and vowed to fight "as long as it takes", in an interview with PBS.
In a later Truth Social post, Mr Trump warned against this scenario. "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," he said.
The war has already effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, leaving tankers unable to sail for more than a week and forcing producers to halt pumping as storage facilities fill. Iran has already attacked ships on the narrow waterway and attacked oil facilities across the region, sending oil prices to their highest levels in years.
In his press conference, Mr Trump said that the US could attack Iran's electricity production, describing it as an option Washington is keeping in its pocket as the war progresses.
"We've left some of the most important targets for later. If we hit them, it's going to take many years for them to be rebuilt, having to do with electricity production and many other things," he said.
Mr Trump said the US was "not looking to do that if we don't have to", but added that the targets were "the kind of things that are very easy to hit, but very devastating if they are hit".
'I haven’t seen it'
Iran plays a major role in regional electricity production, supplying Iraq for years. The US has issued sanctions waivers several times to allow Baghdad to buy electricity from Tehran.
Mr Trump was pressed about the bombing of a girls' school in Iran that killed scores of children, which Tehran has blamed on the US. He said that he had not seen anything to confirm the US was responsible and suggested another country was to blame.
“I haven’t seen it,” he said. Referring to video that appeared to show a Tomahawk missile striking near the school, Mr Trump said other countries have the cruise missiles. “The fact that it’s Tomahawk, a Tomahawk is very generic. It’s sold to other countries, but that’s being investigated right now,” he said.
According to reports from Reuters and The Wall Street Journal, US military investigators believe American forces were probably responsible for the strike.
Mr Trump also described Iran's decision to attack its neighbours in the Gulf as "very foolish, very stupid".
"Their neighbours were largely neutral, or at least weren't going to be involved. And they got attacked, and it had the reverse effect," he said, adding that the UAE had "thousands of missiles" launched towards it.
After speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Trump said the US will waive oil-related sanctions on "some countries" to ease the shortage. According to multiple sources, that could mean a further easing of sanctions on Russian oil, which could complicate efforts to punish Moscow for its war in Ukraine. Other options include a possible release of oil from strategic reserves or restricting US exports, sources said.
Mojtaba Khamenei's appointment as Iran next supreme leader on Monday appeared to dash hopes of a swift end to the war. Iranian leaders have pledged their allegiance and support, signalling that hardliners remain in charge despite US and Israel's war.
The conflict has claimed hundreds of lives so far, mostly in Iran, where health authorities say more than 1,300 people have been killed. In Lebanon, the Ministry of Health said around 500 people, including more than 80 children, have have been killed in the past eight days in Israeli strikes since Iran-backed Hezbollah joined the war.
As Iran attacked the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles on Tuesday morning, at least six people were killed in two strikes targeting positions of the 40th Brigade of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) near Kirkuk, according to local media.
