Top updates: Trump says US will hit Iran ‘20 times harder’ if oil flow stopped through Hormuz Strait

The United States will hit Iran “TWENTY TIMES HARDER” if Tehran stops the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz amid the conflict in West Asia, said US President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

“Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again – Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them,” Trump said in a social media post.

This came soon after the US president said that the war on Iran could end “very soon”, but later warned that Washington would continue military operations until “the enemy was totally and decisively defeated”.

On March 2, Iran claimed that the Strait of Hormuz was “closed” for shipping traffic, warning that any vessel attempting to pass through the strategic waterway would be set on fire.

The narrow waterbody connects the Gulf to the Arabian Sea. About 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption traverses the maritime chokepoint.

After Mojataba Khamenei was appointed as Iran’s new supreme leader on Sunday, Tehran had signalled that the Strait of Hormuz would likely remain closed, reported AFP.

The conflict in West Asia began on February 28 after Israel and the United States launched a joint operation to “degrade the capabilities” of the Iranian government.

Tehran retaliated by striking Israel and US...

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