'Persian Gulf will run with blood if Iran's islands are invaded': Iran's Parliament speaker issues stark warning amid intensifying Iran-US war

Visuals of attack during the Iran-US war

Iran’s parliament speaker issued a sharp warning on Thursday, saying any attempt to invade the country’s islands would trigger a violent response.

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said that any invasion of Iran’s islands would “make the Persian Gulf run with the blood of invaders.”

Qalibaf’s remarks come amid heightened rhetoric surrounding the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

Iran currently controls three islands that it seized from the United Arab Emirates before the country’s formation in 1971.

The comments come amid heightened tensions in West Asia during the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States.

The Persian Gulf region is strategically important for global energy supplies because it connects to the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil consumption passes each day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Iran also exports most of its crude oil through Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, which serves as the country’s primary oil export hub.

Because of its role in global energy transport and shipping, any military escalation in or around the Gulf raises concerns about disruptions to maritime traffic and oil supplies.