The exchange of threats comes after Trump warned Iran of ‘death, fire and fury’ if oil routes are disrupted
Iran has issued a warning directed at Donald Trump, telling the US president to “be careful not to be eliminated” after he threatened severe retaliation if the country interferes with global oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
The sharp message came from Ali Ardashir Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Responding to Trump’s warning, he said: “The Ashura nation of Iran is not afraid of your empty threats. Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Be careful not to be eliminated.”
The statement was formally signed and shared with the words: “Supreme National Security Council of Iran, Tehran, March 19, 1404 – 10 days after the martyrdom of His Holiness Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.”
The message from Tehran came after Trump posted a warning on Truth Social. In the post, he threatened extreme retaliation against Iran if its leadership attempted to interfere with oil shipments moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
The US president warned that blocking this key shipping route could lead to devastating consequences for Iran.
His statement referred to potential military action and raised tensions in an already fragile geopolitical situation.
Donald Trump threatened ‘death, fire and fury’ on Iran
“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far,” he wrote in the post.
“Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again—Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them—But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!”
“This is a gift from the United States of America to China, and all of those Nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait. Hopefully, it is a gesture that will be greatly appreciated.”
Many countries rely on the Strait of Hormuz for oil
Trump’s warning arrived at a time when global oil markets were already under pressure. On Monday (March 9), the price of a barrel of oil climbed past $100 as traders reacted to the growing conflict.
About 20 percent of the world’s oil supply moves through the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow passage connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and serves as one of the most important shipping routes for global energy supplies.
Trump shared his comments roughly ten days after the United States and Israel carried out coordinated strikes against Iran. Those attacks reportedly killed the country’s leader and triggered a wider war across parts of the Middle East.
Despite those events, the president’s new threats appeared to contradict comments he had made only hours earlier during an interview with CBS News.
Iran responded to Trump’s threats with an assassination warning
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they’ve got no Air Force. Wrapping up is all in my mind,” he told the news outlet.
Later, during a press conference, a reporter questioned the president about the apparent contradiction. The journalist pointed out that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had recently said the conflict was only beginning.
“So which is it?” the journalist asked, to which Trump replied: “You could say both.”
Why the sinking of Iran’s Iris Dena warship by a US submarine is so controversial
On March 4, the Iranian warship Iris Dena was struck by torpedoes fired from a US submarine while sailing in international waters.
According to Iranian officials, the attack resulted in the deaths of 104 crew members, while another 32 sailors were injured during the incident.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the sinking as an “atrocity at sea” that happened roughly 2,000 miles away from Iran’s own coastline.
The US released footage showing the sinking of the Iris Dena
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh defended the ship’s presence in the region and claimed: “That vessel was by invitation of our Indian friends, attending an international exercise. It was ceremonial. It was unloaded. It was unarmed.”
The US Indo-Pacific Command rejected that explanation, saying on X that the claim the Iris Dena was unarmed was “false.”
The event has raised serious concerns about how far the conflict could spread geographically, especially since the vessel was sunk off the coast of Sri Lanka.
The Iris Dena had been one of three vessels participating in a naval exercise hosted by India. According to reports, India had allowed the ship to dock at one of its ports only days before the attack took place.
According to the nonpartisan law and policy journal Just Security, vessels belonging to an enemy nation’s military do not need to be actively firing weapons or carrying arms to be considered legitimate targets during wartime.
Under international rules of armed conflict at sea, ships connected to military forces can be treated as combat targets even if they are not actively involved in combat operations.
