The paramilitary group issued the threat in response to a deadline imposed by the Trump administration.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned on April 7 that the paramilitary group would attempt to block the United States and its allies from obtaining oil and gas from the Middle East “for years” if the U.S. military launches strikes on the country’s infrastructure ahead of a Tuesday evening deadline.
U.S. President Donald Trump has given Iran until 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday to come to an agreement to potentially end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that allows for the transportation of around a fifth of the world’s oil supply on a normal day.
So far, Iranian officials have appeared to be publicly defiant and signaled they would not comply with U.S. proposals.
“We will work with the infrastructure of the United States and its partners to deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas in the region for years,” the Revolutionary Guard said in a statement carried by state-run media, including Tasnim News, according to a translation.
It also issued a new threat to the nearby Middle Eastern states that do business with the United States, in a statement carried by other state-run media outlets on Tuesday.
“America’s regional partners should also know that until today, we have exercised great restraint for the sake of good neighborliness and have had some reservations in choosing targets for retaliation, but all these reservations have since been removed,” the Revolutionary Guard statement said.
Over the past weekend, Trump threatened to destroy all of Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran does not allow traffic to fully resume in the strait. Iran’s president said 14 million people, including himself, have volunteered to fight for the country.
Iran, meanwhile, fired on Israel and Saudi Arabia, prompting the temporary closure of a major bridge.
Trump again issued a warning on his Truth Social platform that Tehran should come to an agreement on opening the Strait of Hormuz or a “whole civilization will die tonight,” although he signaled that he is still hopeful that a deal could be made.
“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump said, adding: “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?”
