Tensions between Iran and the United States ratcheted up again after Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, fired back at President Donald Trump’s threats over Iranian activity in the Strait of Hormuz. Posting on X, Larijani wrote:
“The sacrificial nation of Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself.”
Trump had warned on the same platform that any Iranian move to disrupt oil shipments through the strait would draw a swift U.S. response, calling it a direct threat to global security. Larijani brushed off the warning as bluster and reminded Washington of Iran’s record of resisting bigger powers.
Analysts see the barbs as the latest round in a long-running war of words that could spill into the oil markets and the wider region.
The exchange comes as both countries boost forces in the Gulf—drones overhead, ships at sea—raising the risk of a clash nobody claims to want.
