Iran Threatens Wider Energy Disruption After US Renews Naval Blockade
SCN International Desk
DUBAI: Iran has warned it could expand disruptions to Middle East energy exports after the United States reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and launched a new wave of military strikes, raising fears that the conflict could further destabilise global oil supplies.
The warning came as fighting between Washington and Tehran intensified for another day despite previous diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing a broader regional war. Iranian officials said the country's response would not be limited to defending its own territory if pressure from the United States continued.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said regional energy exports should either remain available to all countries or be denied to everyone, signalling that Iran may seek to target additional export routes used by US allies if its own oil and gas shipments remain blocked. Iranian state media carried the statement as tensions continued to rise across the Gulf.
The latest escalation followed President Donald Trump's decision to restore a naval blockade on Iranian ports after Washington accused Tehran of attacking commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz. US officials said the renewed blockade is intended to restrict Iran's military and economic capabilities while protecting international maritime traffic.
Hours after the blockade was reinstated, US forces carried out fresh strikes on Iranian military positions, including coastal defence systems and missile sites that American officials say have been used to threaten vessels operating in the Gulf. Iranian authorities reported casualties and injuries from the attacks, while promising retaliation against what they described as continued American aggression.
The confrontation has again placed the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of the crisis. The narrow waterway is one of the world's most important energy corridors, carrying roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade during normal conditions. Any prolonged disruption could have significant consequences for international energy markets and global inflation.
Security analysts also warned that Iran could attempt to widen the conflict beyond Hormuz by encouraging allied groups to threaten shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another strategic maritime route linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Disruptions at both waterways would affect energy exports from several Gulf producers and place additional pressure on global supply chains.
Oil markets reacted cautiously to the renewed escalation. Brent crude traded near one-month highs while US benchmark crude also advanced as investors weighed the risk of further supply interruptions if military operations continue or additional export routes are targeted.
Regional governments are continuing diplomatic contacts in an effort to prevent the conflict from expanding, but there has been no indication that either Washington or Tehran is prepared to reduce military pressure. The collapse of earlier negotiations has increased concerns that the confrontation could become more prolonged, with implications extending well beyond the Middle East.
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Rather than limiting its warning to the Strait of Hormuz, Iran signalled that other regional export corridors serving US allies could also become targets, raising the prospect that the crisis could spread beyond a single maritime chokepoint.