Washington, Mar 9 (EFE).- US President Donald Trump warned on Monday that if Iran blocks the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, the US will strike the country even harder.
“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,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
“Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again — Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them — But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!”
Trump’s statements come after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard claimed to have attacked an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, saying the passage is closed to traffic due to the escalating conflict.
The Strait of Hormuz, located between the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, is where 20 percent of the world’s oil transits, and tensions in the area increased after the US sent its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to transit the strait and position itself in the region.
On Monday, Trump made contradictory statements about the immediate future of the war in Iran, first saying that it was “very complete” and then saying although he could call it off now, he will “go further.”
Furthermore, the president asserted that he was considering taking full control of the Strait of Hormuz, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps offered “free passage” to countries in the region that expel the US and Israeli ambassadors from their territories.
In its most recent public statement, the IGRC asserted that Trump claims the presence of commercial and military vessels in the region and their easy passage through the Strait of Hormuz; meanwhile, US warships have been stationed more than 1,000 kilometers from the area to protect themselves from powerful Iranian missiles and drones. EFE
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