Trump: "If Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, we will make it impossible for it to rebuild"

"Hit 20 times harder"…vows to curb any renewed rise in oil prices

U.S. President Donald Trump warned on the 9th (local time) that if Iran takes steps to block the passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, he will leave the country in a state where it cannot be rebuilt.

In a post on social media platform Truth Social that day, Trump wrote, "If Iran takes action to stop the flow of oil inside the Strait of Hormuz, it will be hit 20 times harder than ever before by the United States." He added, "We will remove targets that can be easily destroyed, making it impossible for Iran to rebuild as a nation," he stressed.

He went on to write, "I hope and pray that does not happen," adding, "This is America’s gift to China and to every other country that makes heavy use of the Strait of Hormuz."

While the Iranian government has officially said it has no plan to block the Strait of Hormuz, the strait has effectively been sealed after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared on the 2nd that it would attack vessels attempting to pass through.

With the movement of most countries’ merchant ships disrupted, Trump’s warning to Iran is seen as a move aimed at international oil prices. After the Strait of Hormuz—an important chokepoint for global crude shipments—was blocked, international oil prices topped the $100 mark, with intraday prices hitting $119 per barrel. However, they later retreated to the $80 range after Trump spoke of an early end to the war.

By Oh Se-seong, Hankyung.com sesung@hankyung.com