Tehran: Iran has threatened to stop the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz if foreign sanctions were imposed on its crude exports over its nuclear ambitions, a move that could trigger military conflict with economies dependent on Gulf oil, news agencies reported.
“If they (the West) impose sanctions on Iran’s oil exports, then even one drop of oil cannot flow from the Strait of Hormuz,” the official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi as saying.
“Our enemies will give up on their plots against Iran only if we give them a firm and strong lesson,” Rahimi said.
The U.S. State Department said it saw “an element of bluster” in the threat but underscored that the United States would support the free flow of oil.
“It’s another attempt to distract attention away from the real issue, which is their continued non-compliance with their international nuclear obligations,” spokesman Mark Toner said.
