Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf struck back at the Trump administration on Thursday, mocking Washington's naval blockade strategy as "junk advice" that has driven global oil prices past $120 a barrel — and warned that it could hit $140 next.
In a post on X, Ghalibaf said the mindset driving US policy was fundamentally flawed and divorced from ground reality.
He ridiculed earlier American claims that Iran's oil infrastructure would be crippled within days.
"Three days in, no well exploded. We could extend to 30 and livestream the well here," he wrote, in a sardonic reference to predictions that the blockade and preceding strikes would quickly choke Iran's energy output.
Hitting out at US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has been one of the principal architects of the maximum pressure campaign, he said, "That was the kind of junk advice the US administration gets from people like Bessent who also push the blockade theory and cranked oil up to $120+. Next stop: 140. The issue isn't the theory, it's the mindset."
ALSO READ: Revenge Till Last Drop Of Blood: Iran Issues Stark Threat — Immediate Action If US Moves Forward
The post lands at a moment of acute anxiety in the energy market, with Brent crude futures surging past $119 a barrel on Wednesday as the US-Iran standoff showed no signs of resolution, tensions escalating over the Strait of Hormuz and the US naval blockade of Iranian ports in force since April 13.
ALSO READ: Trump Draws Red Line: No Deal Unless Iran Abandons Nuclear Weapons, Vows To Maintain Blockade
The broader context is one of cascading economic consequence. The dual blockade — Washington's siege of Iranian ports and Tehran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz — has disrupted the transit of roughly 20% of globally traded oil, which the International Energy Agency has called the largest energy security threat in history.
As per reports, petrol prices in the United States have crossed $4.22 per gallon, up from under $3 before the war began in late February, creating domestic political pressure.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.