Iran Threatens Regional Oil Halt if Barred From Exports
“The US and other countries should know, as we have said, that in a region where we cannot sell oil, no one will sell oil,” Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said.
The threat comes as Tehran's crude exports are choked off by the ongoing conflict with Washington and by US sanctions. Iran's Central Bank governor said in August that exports had dropped to zero.
The US military said on Sept. 19 that more than 1 billion barrels of crude had moved through the Strait of Hormuz in recent months with American military help, and asserted that Iran had shipped “zero barrels” under what Washington calls its “ironclad blockade.”
“If our security is not guaranteed, no infrastructure will be safe,” Qalibaf said.
Earlier this month, he cautioned that US energy infrastructure and assets around the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz could face Iranian retaliation if Washington struck Iran's oil and gas facilities.
Qalibaf also addressed recent comments by US President Donald Trump on shipping through the strait, dismissing them as a rehash of earlier American claims.
On Saturday, Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to restore normal commercial traffic through the strait within seven days. He called Tehran's conditions unacceptable and said Washington already held “total control” of the waterway.
Under the Iranian plan, Washington would release frozen Iranian assets, lift oil sanctions and end the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iran would then move to reopen the strait, and talks on a final agreement would begin.
Tehran has kept the strait restricted while demanding that Washington honor commitments made under a June memorandum of understanding. Iran says the waterway will not fully reopen until its conditions are met and those commitments are carried out.
On Monday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Qatari mediators would present Washington with new ideas, discussed with Tehran, on meeting Iran's conditions for reopening the strait.
Qalibaf also cautioned Washington against piling on further pressure. Washington has widened its economic campaign beyond Iran's oil and maritime sectors to civil aviation.
“The leaders of the White House should know that Iran, a wise nation that has made history, will never retreat because of lines being drawn, speeches, or air or commercial blockades,” Qalibaf said.
He added that Iran's response to “any threat or adventurism” would be “regrettable and swift.”
The US and Israel launched a war against Iran in February. Iran responded with attacks on Israel and US targets in the region, and a ceasefire was reached in April. Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding in June on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, but implementation has stalled over disagreements on security in the waterway, and tensions between the two sides continue to rise.
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