Iran's hardline parliament speaker Karoubi posted:
"We absolutely do not seek a ceasefire; we believe that the aggressor should be taught a lesson to make him remember and never dare to attack our beloved Iran again.
The Zionist regime (Israel) views its shameful existence as a continuation of the 'war-peace-war' cycle, which it uses to consolidate its rule. We will break this cycle."
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that if the US and Israel continue their attacks, they will not allow "a drop of oil" to be exported from the Middle East.
At the same time, Iran is giving Europe and Gulf countries a choice: any Arab or European country that expels Israeli and American ambassadors from its territory will be able to freely pass through the Strait of Hormuz starting from tomorrow.
Note that this statement was made by a Revolutionary Guard spokesperson, not the foreign minister, and it is a military ultimatum.
This is not diplomacy, but a leverage. Using the world's most important oil chokepoint as leverage to weaken Western diplomatic presence in the Middle East.
By linking the right to passage through the Strait of Hormuz to the diplomatic relations of the United States and Israel, the strait has become a geopolitical filter: either take a side, or risk losing access to one of the most important energy routes in the world.
When geopolitics meets global energy transport routes, the stakes are quite astonishing.
Iran is playing a large-scale geopolitical game, and it is doing so with great skill.
"Taking sides" is a term commonly used by the privileged class, and Iran is using the same tactics against them.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1859268312002560/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.