Iran Says Oil Blockade Will Continue Until Attacks End

AP

A thick plume of smoke rises from an oil storage facility hit by a U.S.-Israeli strike late Saturday in Tehran, 8 March 2026.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they would not allow "one litre of oil" to be shipped from the Middle East if U.S. and Israeli attacks continue, prompting a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump that the U.S. would hit Iran much harder if it blocked ‌exports from the vital energy-producing region.

President Trump said on Monday the United States had inflicted serious damage on Iran's military and predicted the conflict would end well before the initial four-week time frame he had laid out, though he has not defined what victory would look like.

At least 1,332 Iranian civilians have been killed and thousands wounded since the U.S. and Israel launched a barrage of air and missile strikes ⁠across Iran at the end of February, according to Iran's U.N. ambassador.

President Trump warned that U.S. attacks could rise sharply if Iran sought to block tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles one-fifth of the world's oil supply.

“We will hit them so hard that it will not be possible for them or anybody else helping them to ever recover that section of the world," Trump said at a news conference on Monday.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said it would not allow any oil to leave the region if attacks from the United States and Israel continue.

"We are the ones who will determine the end of the war," a spokesperson said, describing Trump's comments as "nonsense", according to state media.

In a later Truth Social post, President Trump repeated his warning.

"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.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran was unlikely to resume negotiations with the U.S., citing what he described as a "bitter experience" with past talks.

"After three rounds of negotiation, the American team in the negotiation said itself that we made a big progress. Still, they decided to attack us. So, I don't think talking to the Americans anymore would be on our agenda any more," he said in an interview with PBS.

After speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said the United States will waive oil-related sanctions on "some countries" to ease the shortage.

Brent crude ⁠futures fell more than 10% on Tuesday after soaring by as much as 29% on Monday to their highest since 2022. Global stock markets also bounced.


Source: Reuters



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