Investing.com– Iran has pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest threats, rejecting his ultimatum over the Strait of Hormuz while introducing new conditions for reopening the key waterway and signaling the risk of broader disruption to global trade routes.
In a post on X, parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf dismissed Trump’s warning of strikes on Iranian infrastructure as “reckless. »
“You won’t gain anything through war crimes. The only real solution is respecting the rights of the Iranian people and ending this dangerous game.”
Tehran also outlined a new condition tied to any reopening of Hormuz. Presidential spokesperson Seyyed Mohammad Mehdi Tabatabaei said transit through the strait could resume only if part of the revenue is allocated to compensate Iran for war-related damages, effectively linking access to the waterway with financial concessions.
At the same time, senior officials signaled that the conflict could expand beyond the Persian Gulf. Ali Akbar Velayati, a former foreign minister and adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, warned that the “resistance front” could target the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea—another critical chokepoint for global trade.
“If the White House thinks of repeating its stupid mistakes, it will quickly realize that the flow of global energy and trade can be disrupted with a single signal,” Velayati said.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait handles roughly 12% of global trade and has previously been targeted by Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen. Any disruption there would compound the impact of the near shutdown of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which has already driven sharp gains in oil and gas prices.
Iran’s latest response comes as Trump set Tuesday deadline for Tehran to reopen Hormuz, warning of escalation if it fails to comply.
« If they don’t come through, if they want to keep it closed, they’re going to lose every power plant and every other plant they have in the whole country, » Trump told Wall Street Journal in an interview.
While the U.S. president has also suggested a deal could be reached quickly, the tone from Iranian officials points to a hardening stance, with new demands and broader threats raising the risk of a more prolonged conflict.
Source:
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