Iran warns Gulf energy and tech sites face retaliation if US and Israel attack

Senior Iranian security officials have warned that Tehran will target energy infrastructure, undersea communications links, data hubs and artificial intelligence centres across up to seven Gulf states if the United States and Israel launch fresh military strikes against the country.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, stated that Iran would expand its retaliation far beyond immediate military targets. He insisted that the economic systems enabling strikes against Iran would not remain protected while Tehran’s own economy suffered attacks.

Mehdi Mohammadi, an adviser to Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf, described any renewed confrontation as an existential crisis, warning that Tehran had adopted a strategy of "zero red lines." He said that Iran planned to stretch the conflict across both a wider area and a longer timeline than its adversaries anticipate.

The heightened rhetoric follows reports in American media that US military planners have prepared potential target lists for joint operations with Israel, potentially to be carried out after the upcoming US midterm elections. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently travelled to Israel to confer with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the objectives and schedule of possible strikes. Washington has also been assembling significant military assets in the Middle East, including three aircraft carriers, fighter aircraft and thousands of personnel.

Tensions have already driven energy markets higher, with Brent crude reaching $113.40 a barrel. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval wing claimed it had targeted four commercial vessels conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Strait of Hormuz, alongside claims that three other vessels struck naval mines, though these assertions were not independently confirmed. Suspected sabotage has also been reported within Iran following a major blaze at an industrial facility in Arak.

Regional analysts and officials warn that another escalation would have devastating consequences. Legal analyst Reza Nasri warned that a wider conflict could engulf regional power plants, ports and desalination infrastructure, potentially displacing millions and triggering severe economic instability worldwide.

Diplomatic efforts remain strained. Ministers from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and three European nations are scheduled to convene in Istanbul to address the regional tensions. While mediators have discussed potential ceasefire terms—including unfreezing Iranian assets and restoring international nuclear inspections—Tehran continues to condition an end to maritime disruptions on the removal of American sanctions.