Iran has issued a stern warning to Donald Trump, telling the United States leader to “be careful not to be eliminated” as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The warning came on Tuesday from Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, who dismissed Trump’s recent threats as empty and insisted that Tehran would not be intimidated.
Writing on social media platform X, Larijani said the Iranian nation had faced stronger adversaries in the past and endured.
“Iran is not afraid of your empty threats. Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Take care of yourself not to be eliminated,” he wrote.
His remarks followed a series of strong statements from Trump warning Iran against disrupting oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important routes for global energy supply. Nearly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil passes through the narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.
Trump had earlier threatened that if Iran attempted to block oil tankers from passing through the strait, the United States would respond with overwhelming force. Posting on Truth Social, he warned that Iran would be hit “twenty times harder” than previous attacks if it interfered with global oil traffic.
“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States twenty times harder than they have been hit thus far,” Trump wrote, adding that “death, fire and fury” could follow if Tehran escalates the situation.
The exchange marks the latest escalation in rhetoric between Washington and Tehran as a regional conflict involving Iran, Israel and their allies continues to widen across the Middle East.
The confrontation intensified after the reported killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, during a series of strikes launched by the United States and Israel late last month, according to Iranian sources. The attacks allegedly targeted military installations and key infrastructure across Iran, prompting retaliatory missile and drone strikes by Iranian forces against Israeli and allied positions in the region.
The growing conflict has raised concerns about potential disruption to global energy markets, particularly if fighting spreads to the Persian Gulf or affects shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts warn that any prolonged closure of the waterway could push global oil prices sharply higher and deepen geopolitical instability.
Iranian officials have repeatedly suggested that the country could block oil exports from the region if pressure from the United States and its allies continues. Iranian forces have also stepped up missile and drone operations targeting military installations and strategic facilities linked to the conflict.
Washington, meanwhile, has vowed to maintain freedom of navigation in the Gulf and has deployed additional naval forces to the region to protect commercial shipping and deter further escalation.
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