Iran parliament speaker warns no one in region will sell oil if Tehran cannot

• Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned that no country in the region would be able to sell oil if Iran is prevented from exporting its own crude.
• His remarks come amid continued restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz and escalating US-Iran tensions over oil exports, sanctions and freedom of navigation.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned Tuesday that oil exports from the region could be disrupted if Iran is prevented from selling its own crude, according to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency.

“The US and other countries should know, as we have said, that in a region where we cannot sell oil, no one will sell oil,” Qalibaf said.

He said Iran would not retreat under what he described as US “air or commercial blockades,” warning that any further pressure could trigger a rapid Iranian response.

“If our security is not guaranteed, no infrastructure will be safe,” Qalibaf said.

The warning comes as Iran faces severe restrictions on its oil exports amid US sanctions and the ongoing conflict between Tehran and Washington.

Iran's Central Bank governor said in August that the country's oil exports had fallen to zero, attributing the halt to the war and sanctions.

The US military said on September 19 that more than 1 billion barrels of crude oil had passed through the Strait of Hormuz in recent months with US military assistance, while claiming that Iran had exported “zero barrels” under what Washington calls its “ironclad blockade.”

Qalibaf also criticized recent remarks by US President Donald Trump concerning the strategic waterway.

Trump rejected an Iranian proposal on Saturday to restore normal commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz within seven days, saying Tehran's conditions were unacceptable and claiming Washington already had “total control” of the waterway.

Under Iran's proposal, Washington would release frozen Iranian assets, lift oil sanctions and end its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Tehran would then move to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, followed by negotiations on a broader agreement.

Iran has maintained restrictions on the waterway while demanding that Washington fulfill commitments under a June memorandum of understanding concerning freedom of navigation.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Qatari mediators would present Washington with new proposals discussed with Tehran on how to meet Iran's conditions for reopening the strait.

Qalibaf previously warned that US energy infrastructure and assets around the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz could face Iranian retaliation if Washington targeted Iranian oil and gas facilities.

“The leaders of the White House should know that Iran, a wise nation that has made history, will never retreat because of lines being drawn, speeches, or air or commercial blockades,” he said.

He added that Iran's response to “any threat or adventurism” would be “regrettable and swift.”

The latest comments come as Washington has expanded economic pressure on Tehran beyond the oil and maritime sectors to include civil aviation.

US-Iran tensions have remained high since the conflict began in February. The two sides later reached a ceasefire in April and signed a memorandum of understanding in June on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, but implementation has stalled amid disagreements over security arrangements and the conditions for reopening the waterway.