Khaberni - While Donald Trump threatens Iran with «fire and fury», the latter responds threatening with «annihilation» if the American president continues to target it.
The sharp Iranian response came hours after Trump warned that he would respond with "fire and fury" if Tehran attempted to close the vital Strait of Hormuz to oil tanker traffic, according to the Associated Press.
U.S. Defense Secretary: Iran made a grave mistake by targeting its neighbors
Larijani wrote on the "X" platform: "Iran does not fear your hollow threats. Even those greater than you will not be able to annihilate the Iranian people. Beware, lest you be annihilated!"
This escalation comes at a time when American intelligence agencies accuse Iran of planning to assassinate Trump in the past, coinciding with the US involvement in attacks that resulted in the death of Iran's supreme leader in the early days of the war.
The American president had launched his threats via his "Truth Social" platform, warning that any Iranian move to disrupt navigation in the Strait of Hormuz would be met with a response "twenty times stronger than anything Iran has received so far".
Trump added: "We will destroy easily destroyable targets, making it practically impossible for Iran to rebuild itself as a nation again - it will suffer death, fire, and fury". He described these possible strikes as a "gift" to China and the countries that rely on the strait for their oil trade.
On the ground, Iran continues to assert control over the strategic strait through which about 20% of global oil supplies pass. Days after shooting at oil tankers and effectively closing the waterway, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard declared its refusal to allow "the export of a single liter of oil to the opposing side and its allies until further notice".
Navigation site data show a sharp decline in activity in the strait, with only two ships having passed in the last twenty-four hours, compared to an average of about 60 ships daily, while 157 ships including 98 oil tankers are stuck.
Despite Trump's assurance that the spike in oil prices is a "cheap price" to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat, real concerns are starting to emerge within the US administration and among legislators. Officials fear that rising fuel prices could affect American household budgets as the spring and summer travel seasons approach.
Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski sharply criticized the administration for not considering the impact of rising energy prices before launching the first attack.
She told "Punchbowl News" last week: "Oh my God, can you believe you didn’t study this matter well? I’m starting to doubt it." This criticism comes at a time when Trump's advisors are trying to persuade him to find a way out of the crisis, fearing internal reactions that might jeopardize his electoral chances.
