Iran’s Supreme Leader Issues Threats Amid Ongoing Conflict
Iran‘s secretive new leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first public statements Thursday, vowing to continue fighting and promising more pain for Gulf Arab states. In a statement read by a state TV news anchor, Khamenei said he was keeping a “file of revenge” against the United States and Israel.
The remarks came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country’s attacks were creating conditions for the Iranian population to topple the government. “It is in your hands,” Netanyahu said at a news conference, addressing the Iranian people. “We are creating the optimal conditions for the fall of the regime.”
US and Israel Continue Airstrikes Against Iran
Since the start of the war, U.S. and Israeli strikes have targeted security checkpoints in Iran to undermine the government’s ability to suppress dissent, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), a U.S.-based independent monitoring group.
Intense airstrikes hit early Friday around Iran‘s capital, Tehran, as well as outlying areas. It was not immediately clear what had been targeted. The war continued to escalate on its 13th day, with oil prices spiraling up again to $100 per barrel and stocks sinking worldwide over fears that the conflict could drag on longer than hoped.
Global Economy Feels Impact of Conflict
The surge in oil prices has put pressure on the global economy, with many countries reliant on imported oil. To relieve the squeeze, the U.S. Treasury Department announced it was further easing sanctions on Russian oil by granting a license that authorizes the delivery and sale of some Russian crude oil and petroleum products for the next month.
The move follows the administration’s decision to grant temporary permission for India to buy Russian oil. The new exemption applies only to Russian oil already at sea, with about 125 million barrels loaded on tankers. To put that in perspective, about 20 million barrels of oil per day usually pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the International Energy Agency.
Iran’s Response to Conflict
Iran has made clear it plans to keep up attacks on energy infrastructure across the region and use the effective closure of the strait as leverage against the United States and Israel. A fifth of the world’s traded oil flows through the waterway leading from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea, making it a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies.
As the conflict continues to escalate, the international community remains on high alert, with many countries scrambling to mitigate the impact on their economies. The situation is likely to remain volatile in the coming days and weeks, as all parties involved continue to dig in their heels.
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