Iran vowed on Tuesday to respond in kind to the United States if it tries to block its oil exports, said the foreign ministry.
“If America wants to take a serious step in this direction it will definitely be met with a reaction and equal countermeasures from Iran,” foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA.
US officials are stepping up diplomatic efforts to pressure countries to stop importing Iranian oil.
On Monday, Iran dismissed an angry warning from President Donald Trump that it risked dire consequences “the like of which few throughout history have suffered before” if it made threats against the United States.
Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri said that US threats will draw a “strong, unimaginable and regrettable” response from Tehran, according to the IRNA news agency.
“As our president correctly pointed out, the enemies, particularly America, whose centers of interest are within reach of the visible and hidden defense forces of Iran, should not play with the lion’s tail,” Bagheri said in a statement, according to IRNA.
“Because they will receive a strong, unimaginable and regrettable response of great magnitude in the region and the world.”
Separately, Iran’s parliamentary speaker on Tuesday described Trump’s comments as “the words of a troublemaker”.
“The United States is experiencing disorder and wildness in its diplomatic relations,” Ali Larijani was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday backed President Hassan Rouhani’s suggestion that Iran might block Gulf oil exports if its own exports are stopped.
Iran has faced the threat of US sanctions since Trump decided in May to withdraw the United States from a 2015 agreement between world powers and Iran over its disputed nuclear program.
