Qalibaf: US Out of Oil Moves as Iran Holds Hormuz Card

By Staff, Agencies

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf delivered a pointed and calculated response to renewed US provocations, arguing that Washington has exhausted its oil-market playbook while Tehran retains key strategic leverage.

Speaker Qalibaf on Sunday took to social media to dismantle American bravado over energy leverage, reminding Washington that the global oil equation remains firmly balanced, with Iran still possessing major unplayed cards.

He posted on X, “They brag about the cards.

Let's see:

Supply Cards= Demand Cards

SOH [partly played] +BEM [unplayed]+Pipelines[unplayed]= Inv Release [played]+Demand Destruction [partly played]+More Price Adj [to come]

Add summer vacation to the right unless they want to cancel it for the US!”

The message was interpreted by analysts as a calm, factual warning to US policymakers: do not mistake temporary market maneuvers for real strength.

While the Islamic Republic has only partially activated its options -- including the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and key pipeline routes -- the United States has already burned through its easiest and most immediate measures, notably Strategic Petroleum Reserve releases and limited demand-side pressure.

Iranian officials say the country retains full control over key energy chokepoints—through which roughly a fifth of global oil flows—keeping powerful options in reserve for any escalation.

By contrast, Washington’s toolkit is thinning: heavy use of emergency reserves and softening demand leave few real options ahead of the peak summer driving season.

Analysts note that further US provocations risk driving pump prices toward six dollars a gallon or higher, directly threatening the summer vacation plans of ordinary American families.

Speaker Qalibaf’s pointed reference to “summer vacation” underscores the domestic political cost the US administration would face if its aggressive posture backfires on voters.