Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf on Monday warned that Iran could target infrastructure belonging to US oil and gas companies across the Middle East if the US continues bombing Iranian energy infrastructure.
Ghalibaf issued the warning after the US bombed three Iranian oil tankers over the weekend and in response to US War Secretary Pete Hegseth saying that the US would take more Iranian tankers if Iran targets US warships.
“It’s simple: the oil and gas production chain here is sprawling, accessible, and exposed. American oil and gas companies across these waters and facilities share that exposure,” Ghalibaf wrote on X.
“Strike our assets, and you get struck. We’ve already proven it. Ask the bases that are no longer viable,” he added.
Since the US strikes on the three Iranian tankers, which took place on Saturday, Iran claimed multiple attacks targeting commercial vessels it said were attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, and more attacks targeting US warships that are enforcing the blockade of Iranian ports.
Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on Sunday that Iran would soon announce a new “restricted zone” extending into the Gulf of Oman, where the US is enforcing the blockade. He said any ships that enter the area will be placed on Iran’s sanctions list. “We will only commit to the Strait of Hormuz being open when they (the Americans) stop the sabotage, threats and attacks on Iran,” he said.
Despite the continued Iranian attacks, US officials continue to claim that the strait is fully open and under US control. A US official speaking to Al Jazeera on Monday said the US was satisfied with the amount of oil and gas transiting the waterway.
