'Middle East will go dark': Iran warns US over threat to destroy power grid
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Middle East will go dark': Iran warns US over threat to destroy power grid")
File photo of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani. Photograph: (X/@alilarijani_ir)
Ali Larijani's statement came days after the American leader threatened to destroy the power generation capacity of Iran within an hour, but expressed hope that this would not be necessary.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani warned the entire Middle East will "go dark" if the United State try to destroy the power generation capacity of Iran. He confirmed that the darkness creates favourable conditions for "hunting American soldiers."
"Trump has said, 'We can take apart Iran's electric capacity within one hour, but we have not done it.' Well, if they do that, the whole region will go dark in less than half an hour, and darkness provides ample opportunity to hunt down US servicemen running for safety," Ali said in a post on X.
The statement of Ali Larijani came days after the American leader threatened to destroy the power generation capacity of Iran within an hour, but expressed hope that this would not be necessary.
Iran's supreme leader says Strait of Hormuz must remain closed
Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, stated that the Strait of Hormuz must remain closed, disobeying the order of President Donald Trump and calls from global markets to reopen the important oil trade route.
“Certainly, the lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz should still be used,” Khamenei said, based on a quote from his first message to the public, the semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported.
Iran has also vowed to target any US, Israeli or allied ship that attempts to cross the Strait of Hormuz, which is considered one-fifth of the world’s oil passage annually. The disruption due to war and the blockade of the strait led to an upsurge in oil prices.
Oil prices surged by more than 7 per cent on Thursday after the International Energy Agency warned that the US–Israel war on Iran was “creating the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.”
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After remarks by Ali Khamenei, the price of international Brent crude oil climbed above $100 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate rose past $95. The shockwaves from the oil market disruption also hit equities, sending stocks lower. At the opening bell, the S&P 500 dropped more than 1 per cent, the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.3 per cent, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid by about 570 points.
US crude prices have now climbed over 40 per cent since the war began, pushing retail fuel costs higher. Since March 1, gasoline prices have increased by nearly 70 cents to reach $3.59 per gallon on Thursday, according to GasBuddy.
