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Reuters reported on September 7 that Iran threatened to retaliate against any new US attacks on its assets with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warning that energy infrastructure across the Gulf including American oil and gas interests was vulnerable. “Strike our assets and you get struck” Qalibaf said after US and Iranian strikes on shipping over the weekend. The latest threat underscores the risks of further escalation after the sides traded blows again with no sign of progress towards a diplomatic breakthrough that could end more than six months of conflict and restore normal energy flows through the Gulf according to the news agency.
Qalibaf later reinforced the warning in what appeared to be a response to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth who had described Iran’s oil tanker fleet as defenceless. “It’s simple the oil and gas production chain here is sprawling accessible and exposed” Qalibaf who is Iran’s top negotiator wrote on X. “American oil and gas companies across these waters and facilities share that exposure” he added in the post.
Senior Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei said on Sunday that Tehran would soon announce a new restricted zone in the Gulf and unveil a new shipping corridor through the strait Reuters reported. Rezaei said the proposed zone would begin where a US naval blockade of Iran starts and extend into parts of the Gulf. Any vessel entering the area would be placed on an Iranian sanctions list while Rezaei added that Iran will only commit to the Strait of Hormuz being open when the Americans stop the sabotage threats and attacks on Iran.
Iran has tightened restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz a critical artery for global oil and gas supplies since the war began with US and Israeli strikes on February 28 according to the Reuters dispatch. The agency noted that data shows transits through the waterway at their lowest level since May amid the ongoing disruptions. A report by research firm Rystad Energy in April estimated the Middle East conflict could saddle the region with as much as 58 billion dollars in repair costs for energy-linked infrastructure alone.
The weekend exchanges involved US forces striking three Iranian oil tankers including one near Kharg Island Iran’s main oil export hub as stated by US Central Command. Those actions followed attacks by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on US warships in the region. Oil prices moved near six-week highs on Monday as a direct result of the incidents Reuters figures show.
Qalibaf’s remarks came as Iran signaled plans to declare the restricted zone near the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days. The parliament speaker reshared a post by Hegseth reiterating claims about Iran’s naval capabilities. The Iranian official added that Tehran has already proven its ability to strike back asking the bases that are no longer viable.
