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Iran on Thursday vowed to retaliate against the United States for recent attacks, warning that it could maintain a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy route, as tensions escalate across the Middle East.
Iranian security chief Ali Larijani said Tehran would not back down from the confrontation and warned Washington that the conflict could not be easily won.
“While starting a war is easy, it cannot be won with a few tweets. We will not relent until making you sorry for this grave miscalculation.”
Trump says he is looking for a speedy victory. While starting a war is easy, it cannot be won with a few tweets. We will not relent until making you sorry for this grave miscalculation. #TrumpMustPay
— Ali Larijani | علی لاریجانی (@alilarijani_ir) March 12, 2026
His comments came days after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28 that killed Iran’s former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, leading to a growing regional dispute.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who took office after his father’s death, also called for retaliation in a statement broadcast on state television.
“The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely be used,” he said, referring to the narrow waterway through which roughly a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil trade normally passes.
The warning raised fears of a major disruption to global energy supplies. The International Energy Agency cautioned that the conflict could trigger “the largest supply disruption” in the history of the oil industry.
Despite the concerns, US President Donald Trump said defeating Iran was more important than the impact on oil prices, describing Tehran as an “evil empire” in a social media post.
“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 on Truth Social.
“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!”
Oil prices have already skyrocketed due to the conflict; since the US-Israeli strikes, benchmark crude has increased by 40 to 50 percent.
عاد ترامب ليقول: «يجب أن ننتصر في هذه الحرب بسرعة».
لكن إشعال الحروب أمرٌ سهل، أمّا إنهاؤها فلا يتمّ ببضع تغريدات.
لن نترككم حتى تعترفوا بخطئكم وتدفعوا ثمنه— Ali Larijani | علی لاریجانی (@alilarijani_ir) March 12, 2026
