Amid growing tensions affecting global energy markets, the IRGC warned that it could halt oil shipments from the region to hostile countries.
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Iran has pushed back strongly against comments by US President Donald Trump suggesting that the ongoing conflict with Tehran could be brief, declaring that only Iran will determine when the fighting concludes.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released a statement dismissing the US President’s remarks and asserting that the course of the conflict will be shaped by Iran’s military decisions rather than US expectations.
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“It is we who will determine the end of the war,” the IRGC said. “The equations and the future status of the region are now in the hands of our armed forces. American forces will not decide when the war ends.”
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Trump had earlier referred to the military campaign against Iran as a limited operation, calling it a “short-term excursion” aimed at eliminating “some evil.” At the same time, he issued a warning regarding disruptions to shipping through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
Amid growing tensions affecting global energy markets, the IRGC warned that it could halt oil shipments from the region to hostile countries.
The military group said it would not allow “even a single litre of oil” to be exported to such nations until further notice.
An IRGC spokesperson accused Trump of using deceit to mislead public opinion after suffering what Tehran described as “humiliating setbacks.” The spokesperson also rejected US claims that shipping routes in the region remain secure, alleging that American naval vessels and aircraft have retreated more than 1,000 kilometres to escape Iranian strikes.
The statement further claimed that US naval forces pulled back after Iranian missiles targeted the USS Abraham Lincoln. Tehran also dismissed reports suggesting that its missile stockpiles are diminishing, asserting that its current arsenal is “more powerful than in the early days of the war,” with some warheads weighing over one ton.
Trump also issued a stark warning that any attempt by Iran to block oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz would trigger a massive US response. He wrote on social media, “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 characterised the protection of the waterway as a gift from the United States of America to China and other nations dependent on the route.
He added that the US would strike targets that are “easily destroyable,” claiming such action would make it nearly impossible for Iran to rebuild itself as a nation. Trump also described the US role in safeguarding the crucial shipping lane as a service benefiting countries such as China and other economies that rely heavily on the route for energy imports.
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