Iran warned on Thursday it would launch “long and painful strikes” on U.S. regional positions if Washington renewed attacks, as the Strait of Hormuz crisis continued to disrupt global energy supplies.
Tehran, Iran’s capital, issued the warning two months into the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The Strait of Hormuz remained closed, choking off about 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies.
A U.S. official told Reuters that advisers planned to brief President Donald Trump on fresh military strike options intended to force Iran back into negotiations. Oil prices rose after reports of the briefing, with Brent crude briefly topping $126 a barrel before retreating to around $114.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told the official IRNA news agency that expecting quick results from U.S. talks was “not very realistic.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned at United Nations headquarters in New York that continued restrictions on navigation in the Strait of Hormuz could push the world toward recession. He said global growth could fall to 2% and inflation could exceed 6% if the crisis lasted through year-end.
Read: Crude Oil Prices Hit $122.53 on Iran Supply Fears
According to a statement from his office, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said any U.S. attempt to impose a naval blockade would “fail.”
The United Arab Emirates banned its citizens from travelling to Iran, Lebanon and Iraq on Thursday and urged those already there to return immediately, citing regional developments.
