Tehran has told regional governments that an American attack on Iranian infrastructure would trigger retaliation against U.S. assets and critical energy facilities across the Gulf, even as negotiations continue over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Iran has warned neighboring Gulf countries that their energy facilities and other critical infrastructure could be targeted if the United States launches another military strike against Tehran, broadening the potential consequences of renewed hostilities beyond Iran’s borders.
The warning was delivered through senior diplomatic contacts after President Donald Trump threatened last week to attack Iran’s energy network and infrastructure. Tehran urged governments with close ties to Washington to use their influence to prevent the president from authorizing further military action.
The Times of Israel reported Thursday that the message was conveyed through high-level channels, citing two senior Iranian officials, two Gulf sources and a senior regional diplomat familiar with the discussions.
Trump ultimately canceled the planned attack, which he said would have been the largest military operation since World War II, while pursuing an agreement addressing Iran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Commercial traffic through the strait has largely stopped because of Iranian attacks on vessels. Approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments ordinarily pass through the waterway, making its continued closure a major concern for global energy markets.
According to the five sources, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, as well as Pakistan’s army chief.
A senior regional diplomat said Araghchi asked Washington’s allies to press Trump against launching additional strikes. He warned that an attack on Iranian infrastructure would lead Tehran to retaliate against American assets and energy installations throughout the Gulf.
“We’re ready to retaliate, but finding a diplomatic solution is the best way to avoid wider escalation and destruction across the region,” Araghchi’s message said, according to the diplomat.
A Gulf source described the threat as direct and consistent.
“The Iranian warning was unequivocal: if America targeted Iran’s infrastructure, they would retaliate by striking Gulf energy facilities and other regional targets,” the source told the Times.
One Iranian official said Tehran had identified a wide range of possible targets, including refineries, oil fields, electrical grids, water systems, transportation networks and other energy infrastructure.
“The enemy continues to threaten Iranian infrastructure. If Iran suffers damage, it will inflict far greater damage in return,” the official said.
“They still remember Saudi Arabia’s Aramco,” he added.
The remark referred to the September 2019 drone and missile attacks against Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq and Khurais facilities. Those strikes temporarily disrupted more than half of the kingdom’s crude oil production and demonstrated the vulnerability of major Gulf energy installations.
Iran’s warning places regional governments in a difficult position. Several Gulf countries host American military bases and maintain close security relationships with Washington, while their economies depend heavily on energy exports that could be disrupted or destroyed in a wider conflict.
Tehran’s diplomatic campaign appears intended to use the prospect of regional escalation as leverage against additional U.S. attacks. By threatening facilities outside Iran, the government is seeking to increase pressure on Washington through allies that would bear significant economic and security costs.
The warning comes as negotiations between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz remain unresolved.
The Tasnim News Agency reported Wednesday that continued American involvement and Trump’s military threats were delaying an agreement. Tasnim is affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“As long as U.S. interference and threats of military action against Iran continue, the agreement will remain delayed,” a source told Sepah News, according to Tasnim.
The source said Tehran would not finalize an arrangement while facing the possibility of an American attack.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei has said the talks with Oman are aimed at creating secure maritime routes while protecting the security interests and sovereign rights of both countries.
People familiar with the negotiations told Tasnim that the proposed agreement would allow Iran to supervise vessels entering the Persian Gulf through a shipping lane under Iranian control. Tehran would also maintain visibility over outbound maritime traffic and retain the authority to intervene when it deemed action necessary to protect navigation and security.
Under the reported framework, ships leaving the Persian Gulf would use a lane jointly administered by Iran and Oman. Omani authorities would issue final clearance after notifying Tehran.
The negotiations reportedly also contemplate the creation of a new “middle corridor” through the Strait of Hormuz to replace the existing northern and southern shipping lanes.
The proposed system would impose security and environmental service fees and would be tied to the removal of U.S. restrictions affecting Iranian ports.
Iran has presented the shipping arrangement as a potential diplomatic path toward reopening the strait. At the same time, its warnings to Gulf governments indicate that any renewed American strikes could expand the war to regional oil fields, refineries, utilities, transportation systems and U.S. military assets.
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