Iran's Vice President issued a direct threat of fourfold retaliation against the energy infrastructure of countries backing the United States, hours after President Donald Trump warned that Iran's oil system could catastrophically "explode" within three days under the current blockade.
Esmail Saghab Esfahani, Vice President and head of Iran's Strategic Energy Policy and Management Organisation, posted the warning on X on Monday.
"We will respond to any act of war," he wrote. "If, as Trump claims, any part of our infrastructure — including oil wells — is damaged as a result of the blockade, we guarantee that four times the damage will be inflicted on the same infrastructure in countries that support the aggressor."
He reduced the threat to a blunt arithmetic: "Our math is different: 1 oil well = 4 oil wells."
ما به هر اقدام جنگی پاسخ میدهیم. اگر آنطور که ترامپ ادعا کرده هر بخشی از زیرساختهای ما از جمله چاههای نفت در نتیجه محاصره آسیب ببیند، تضمین میکنیم که چهار برابر آن به همان زیرساخت در کشورهایی که از متجاوز حمایت میکنند خسارت وارد خواهد شد.
— اسماعیل سقاب اصفهانی (@saghabesfahani) April 26, 2026
ریاضی ما متفاوت است:
۱چاه نفت=۴چاه نفت pic.twitter.com/HvEVANC63o
The post was a direct response to remarks Trump made to Fox News earlier on Sunday, in which he described a scenario in which blocked oil flows would trigger catastrophic pressure buildup across Iran's pipeline network.
Trump said that if oil cannot be transported, it continues to build up "mechanically and in the earth," which could lead to a rupture or explosion that would permanently damage the system, adding that even if rebuilt, the infrastructure would likely only recover to about "50%" of its current capacity. He called it a "very, very powerful" consequence and told the channel that the war would "come to an end very soon."
Saghab's threat targeted the energy assets of US-supporting countries rather than American infrastructure directly.
The broader picture around Iran deepened on Sunday. TankerTrackers, a maritime intelligence firm, confirmed via satellite imagery that crude oil cargoes valued at roughly $1.05 billion had been returned to Iranian ports following US Navy interdictions, with the US Coast Guard separately seizing an estimated $380 million worth of Iranian crude in the Indian Ocean.
ALSO READ: Iran Sends New Ceasefire Proposal To US, Trump To Assess At White House Meeting: Report
Diplomatic traffic continued in parallel. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad for Moscow after a new round of talks with Pakistani officials, with Iran's ambassador to Russia confirming a meeting with President Vladimir Putin to discuss the ceasefire and negotiations.
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