Iran speaker warns no oil will flow if Tehran is blocked

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned Tuesday that no state in the region would manage to sell oil should Iran be barred from exporting its own, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. "The US and other countries should know, as we have said, that in a region where we cannot sell oil, no one will sell oil," Qalibaf said, framing the threat around the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow chokepoint at the mouth of the Gulf through which roughly a fifth of the world's crude normally passes.

Oil exports at zero amid war and sanctions

The warning lands as Iran faces heavy curbs on its crude sales linked to its conflict with Washington and US sanctions. Iran's Central Bank governor said in August that the country's oil exports had dropped to zero, stating that Tehran was no longer shipping crude because of the war and the penalties. The US military said on Sept. 19 that more than 1 billion barrels of crude had moved through the Strait of Hormuz in recent months with American military assistance, while claiming Iran had exported "zero barrels" under what Washington calls its "ironclad blockade." Qalibaf countered that the pressure cuts both ways. "If our security is not guaranteed, no infrastructure will be safe," he said.

Tehran ties reopening to US commitments

Earlier this month, Qalibaf warned that US energy infrastructure and assets around the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz could face Iranian retaliation if Washington struck Iran's oil and gas facilities. He also dismissed recent remarks by US President Donald Trump on the Strait of Hormuz and vessel traffic as a repeat of earlier American claims. Trump on Saturday rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to normal commercial traffic within seven days, calling Tehran's conditions unacceptable and asserting Washington already held "total control" of the waterway. Under Tehran's plan, Washington would release frozen Iranian assets, lift oil sanctions and end the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, after which Iran would reopen the strait and talks on a final agreement would begin. Iran has kept the Strait of Hormuz restricted while demanding that Washington honor commitments under a June memorandum of understanding, saying the waterway will not fully reopen until its conditions are met.

Qatari mediation and warnings to Washington

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Qatari mediators will present the US with new ideas discussed with Tehran on how to satisfy Iran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Qalibaf also cautioned Washington against piling on more pressure, saying Iran will not retreat in the face of what he described as "air or commercial blockades." "The leaders of the White House should know that Iran, a wise nation that has made history, will never retreat because of lines being drawn, speeches, or air or commercial blockades," he said, adding that Iran's response to "any threat or adventurism" would be "regrettable and swift." The standoff traces back to February, when the US and Israel launched a war against Iran; Tehran struck back at Israeli and US targets in the region before a ceasefire was reached in April. Washington and Tehran later signed a memorandum of understanding in June on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, but implementation stalled over disagreements about security in the strategic waterway as tensions continue to climb.

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