Iran Threatens to Halt All Middle East Oil Exports Amid US-Israel Attacks; Trump Warns of 20-Fold Escalation; Mojtaba Khamenei Named New Leader
Iran has stated that if US and Israeli attacks continue, it will not allow even "one liter of oil" to be exported from the Middle East. In response, US President Donald Trump warned that if oil exports are halted, the US will increase the intensity of its attacks 20-fold.
Trump's remarks followed severe fluctuations in global financial markets, particularly after Mojtaba Khamenei was selected as Iran's new leader. Trump said the US has inflicted major damage on Iran's military capabilities and predicted the war would end sooner than expected, though he did not define victory clearly.
Israel has declared its war aim as the overthrow of Iran's ruling regime, while US officials emphasize destroying Iran's rocket forces and nuclear program. Trump stated the war will end only when Iran's government agrees to US demands.
Iran's UN representative said that since late February air and missile attacks by the US and Israel began, at least 1,332 Iranian civilians have been killed and thousands wounded.
Trump warned that if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, US attacks will increase dramatically, delivering a blow Iran and its allies cannot recover from. The war has effectively halted oil tanker transit through the strait for over a week, stopping some companies' production and driving global oil prices above $100 per barrel.
Iran's Assembly of Experts, comprising 88 clerics, voted on Sunday to appoint Mojtaba Khamenei, son of former leader Ali Khamenei, as the third leader of the Islamic Republic. The decision was announced officially after midnight Tehran time. The leadership position holds supreme political and religious authority in Iran.
Trump reacted by saying, "We'll see what happens," adding previously that Washington should influence Iran's leadership selection and warning an unapproved leader would not last. Israel had warned it might target Iran's new leader.
Ali Khamenei was killed in initial US-Israeli attacks over a week ago. The US ordered non-essential embassy staff in Saudi Arabia to leave, and the US military reported seven American troops killed in Iranian counterattacks. Iranian officials and the Revolutionary Guards stated support for the new leader and vowed continued retaliatory actions.
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