Iran calls on Arab nations to impose oil embargo on Israel, expel ambassadors
Iran called on its Arab-majority neighbors to impose an oil embargo on Israel as the Jewish state wages its war against Hamas.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Wednesday called for the embargo and for nations within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to expel all Israeli ambassadors.
OPEC, the organization of largely Arab nations that overseas oil production in the Middle East, has no plans to impose such an embargo, Reuters reported Wednesday. The organization has no special or emergency meetings planned to discuss such a move.
‘We are not a political organization,’ one OPEC source told Reuters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Iran has spent much of the past week threatening Israel with consequences for its ongoing war against Hamas. Israel has launched thousands of air strikes into Gaza and appears poised for a ground operation following Hamas’ unprecedented terror attack in Israel on Oct. 7.
Iran has threatened to join the conflict itself, and its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, has also harried Israel’s northern border.
Meanwhile, President Biden’s administration has warned both Hezbollah and Iran to steer clear of the conflict. The U.S. has deployed two aircraft carrier strike groups, USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, to the Eastern Mediterranean.
Israel’s top national security adviser has said he anticipates that the U.S. would become involved in the conflict if Iran or Hezbollah intervenes.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin put 2,000 troops on high alert earlier this week.