US President Donald Trump warned Iran that any attempt to block oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz would trigger a response “twenty times harder” from the United States. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani dismissed the warning, saying Iranians are not afraid of threats and cautioning Washington against escalation.

Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated after US President Donald Trump issued a strong warning to Tehran over the security of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route.

In a statement, Trump cautioned that if Iran takes any action that disrupts the flow of oil through the strait, the United States would respond with overwhelming force. He said Iran would be hit “twenty times harder” than previous strikes and warned that American forces could target facilities that would make it extremely difficult for Iran to rebuild.

The US President also described maintaining the flow of oil through the strategic waterway as a “gift” to countries that rely heavily on the route for energy supplies, including China and several other nations.

Trump added that he hoped such a scenario would not arise and expressed his wish to avoid further escalation.