'If we can't sell oil, neither can anyone else': Iran issues stark warning over US maritime blockade

Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, speaker of Iran's parliament, warned Wednesday that "in any region where we are prevented from selling oil, no one else will be able to sell oil either," reaffirming Tehran's determination to push back against Washington's plan to cut off Iranian crude exports as pressure to restart negotiations.

Qalibaf posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday: "The equation of this war is clear: either all or none. In any region where we are prevented from selling oil, no one else will be able to sell oil either."

He also warned that if US airstrikes continue, Iran will respond in kind against infrastructure across the Middle East. "If our security is not guaranteed, no infrastructure will be safe," he said.

Qalibaf added that "security in the strait is only ensured when US forces are absent," and said Iran had repeatedly made clear that "the situation in the strait will never return to what it was before the war." The remarks signaled Iran's intent to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz under any circumstances.

The US maritime blockade and renewed airstrikes against Iran — rooted in the dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz — have drawn in Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, widening the crisis. The Houthis have declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, raising fears that the Red Sea, which has served as an alternative route around Hormuz, could also be shut off.

Iran's military also warned that any attack on the country's infrastructure would make regional oil exports impossible, threatening to strike energy, power and economic infrastructure across the region if the US bombs Iranian facilities.

The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which commands Iran's armed forces, said in a statement that "the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, and any vessel wishing to transit must strictly follow designated routes and comply fully with pre-announced passage procedures."

The command added that "the US president has once again threatened to target Iran's infrastructure," warning that if such threats are carried out, "Iran's armed forces will not allow a single drop of crude oil to be exported, and all oil, gas, power and economic infrastructure in the region will become our strike targets."