Iran's Defense Minister has slammed Israeli Prime Minister's threats, saying the Islamic Republic will respond firmly and decisively to any Israeli naval action against Iran's oil shipments.

Iran Press/Iran news: “The Iranian armed forces have certainly the capability to protect the country’s shipping lines in the best way against any possible threats,” Brigadier General Amir Hatami noted.

Iran’s Minister of Defense added that Tehran had the military muscle to confront any Israeli military action, and said the international community would certainly not accept such behaviour from the Zionist regime, Iran Press reported.

Defense Minister Hatami warned Israel about any naval attack on Iran's oil shipments, saying such act of 'Israeli piracy', if it happens, would result in a crushing, firm and decisive response from Iran's armed forces.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony of Israeli navy cadets in Haifa on March 6, Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Iran was trying to “covertly” ship fuel over maritime routes to “circumvent” the sanctions that the US unilaterally re-imposed on its energy sector in defiance of international objections after leaving a 2015 multinational nuclear deal.

“To the extent that these attempts widen, the navy will have a more important role in blocking these Iranian actions,” Netanyahu threatened.

Upon re-instating the “toughest ever” bans on Iran, Washington vowed to cut Tehran’s oil exports to “zero” and sought to pressure customers to stop their purchase of Iranian oil.

Senior Iranian officials have however stressed that Iran, as a country rich in oil and gas resources, cannot be excluded from the global energy market. 101 /211

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Israeli PM threatens to block Iran oil shipments