Be careful not to be eliminated – Iran warns Trump

Iran on Tuesday issued a sharp warning to United States President Donald Trump, telling him to “be careful not to be eliminated” as tensions escalate amid the widening Middle East conflict and threats over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The warning came from Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, who dismissed recent threats by Trump as “empty” and insisted that Tehran would not be intimidated. Writing on social media platform X, Larijani said the Iranian nation had faced greater adversaries in the past and survived.

“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.

Larijani’s comments followed a series of strong statements by Trump warning Iran against disrupting oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints for global energy supplies. Nearly a fifth of the world’s crude oil passes through the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.

Trump had earlier threatened that if Iran attempted to block the passage of oil tankers through the strait, the United States would respond with overwhelming force. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said Iran would be hit “twenty times harder” than previous attacks if it interfered with 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, warning that “death, fire and fury” could follow if Tehran escalated 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 expand across the Middle East.

The confrontation intensified after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a series of strikes launched by the United States and Israel late last month, according to Iranian sources. The attacks reportedly targeted military installations and key infrastructure across Iran, triggering retaliatory missile and drone strikes by Iranian forces against Israeli and allied positions in the region.

The conflict has raised fears of 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 send global oil prices soaring 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. (Guardian)