The leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran called for an oil embargo against Israel amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. The news came as a number of Iran-linked groups have launched attacks against both Israeli and American targets.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “Muslim governments must block the export of oil and other essentials to the Zionist regime.”
“They must block oil exports to the Zionist regime and stop economic cooperation with that regime,” he wrote.
Khamenei also wrote the message in Spanish as a number of Latin American countries criticized Israel. Venezuela and two other left-wing governments recalled their ambassadors to the Jewish state.
Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls on Muslim nations to impose an embargo on oil exports to Israel
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Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro wrote that nations “must demand, with one voice, an end to the genocide against the Palestinian people,” he said.
“They want to exterminate the Palestinian people. It’s the same extermination plan that Adolf Hitler carried out against the Jewish people, and it was condemned by all of humanity.”
The Biden administration recently announced a partial withdrawal of sanctions against the socialist country.
Iran and Venezuela have close diplomatic ties.
Iran is one of the leading oil-producing states in the Middle East. In 1979, following the Islamic Revolution in the country, the new rulers cut off the oil supply to the United States. This event sparked an oil crisis and a sharp increase in fuel prices.
A number of Iranian-linked militant groups have launched a number of attacks on American forces across the Middle East. Last week, the United States launched several airstrikes on the Iran-affiliated groups.
However, the rocket and drone attacks continue against American forces in Iraq and Syria.
In addition, American and Israeli military forces shot down a number of missiles fired from Yemen toward Israel. That country’s Houthi rebels are heavily supported by Iran. Earlier this week, the rebels launched attacks on Israel and called for its destruction.
The rebels claimed that they launched at least three attacks on Israel, although none of them have been successful so far.
