{
  "id": 577732,
  "title": "Hormuz blockade is 'worse than war’: Iranian official says US blockade would cost Iran $18 billion",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/11/hormuz-blockade-is-worse-than-war-iranian-official-says-us-blockade",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-11T15:46:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-905209"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Iranian commerce chief warns American blockade will cost Iran $18 billion annually, urging any means necessary to end it. Majidreza Hariri, head of the Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce, told Khabar Online that Iran has invested in infrastructure to boost trade, increasing bilateral trade from $3 billion to $10 billion. However, Hariri argues that relying solely on land trade would limit Iran's import and export capacity to just 20%, and Iran lacks strong trade relationships with many neighbors. He estimates a container shipped from China to Iran would be four times more expensive by land at around $12,000, resulting in an additional $18 billion in costs for Iranians annually. Hariri urges Iran to end the blockade, whether through negotiations, threats, or renewed war, to prevent economic collapse and shortages.",
  "summary": "“We must not get used to the blockade as we did with sanctions,” Majidreza Hariri told Iranian site Khabar Online. “We should impose the cost of lifting the blockade on the US, even through war.\"",
  "key_points": [
    "American blockade would cost Iran $18 billion annually",
    "Iran invested in infrastructure to boost trade",
    "Land trade would limit Iran's import and export capacity"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/577732.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hill",
        "title": "US military disables Panama-flagged tanker in violation of blockade in Strait of Hormuz",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/11/us-military-disables-panama-flagged-tanker-in-violation-of-blockade",
        "published": "2026-08-11T19:35:09.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}