Iran must fight US blockade with energy blockade: Deputy speaker
Iranian Deputy Parliament Speaker Hamid Reza Hajibabaei says the country must not let go of its precious options to control the regional flow of energy as it seeks to break a maritime blockade imposed by the United States.
Hajibabaei said in a Sunday interview with Iranian state TV that any action in the region that seeks to weaken Iran's control over the flow of energy from the region must be countered without exception.
He suggested plans by regional countries to circumvent Iran's restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf should not be tolerated.
“We must blockade the US economic blockade. Any move that leads to bypassing the Strait of Hormuz or helps the US in exerting economic pressure on the Iranian nation is, in fact, an act of war against the Islamic Republic,” he said.
“The actions of countries that are helping to bypass this strait must be monitored and confronted.”
Iran started to restrict the flow of oil and gas through Hormuz in early March, days after the US and the Israeli regime launched a war of aggression against the country.
The restrictions have caused a major hike in global energy and commodity prices, forcing the US government to impose a maritime blockade on Iran in a bid to compel the country to lift the restrictions.
Other countries in the region have also sought to get around the restrictions in the strait and ship oil to customers via pipelines or other ports outside the Persian Gulf.
Hajibabaei said the only way to make the US blockade ineffective is for Iran to tighten its control on the energy flow in the region.
“Energy management is what forces the US and Europe to retreat. If energy exports from the Persian Gulf are controlled and managed, the US blockade will be rendered ineffective,” he said.
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