Iran Warns It Will Strike Oil Sites and Data Centres in Seven Gulf States if Attacked Again
Iran has warned that it will strike back across seven Persian Gulf states if the United States and Israel launch a fresh attack. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said oil installations, undersea cables, data centres and artificial intelligence (AI) facilities located in those seven countries would be Iranian targets.
Rezaei's remarks come at a time when recent US media reports say American military advisers have prepared a detailed target list for a new joint US-Israeli strike on Iran. According to those reports, the plan is to be implemented after the US midterm elections scheduled for 3 November.
Mehdi Mohammadi, an adviser to Iran's hardline leader Mohammad Ghalibaf, has commented in more detail. Mohammadi himself led Iran's talks with the United States aimed at ending the conflict between the two countries. He said Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed in principle on an attack, but could not guarantee its successful outcome.
Mohammadi said: 'We see the next conflict as a fight for existence. A third war within two years means a threat to existence itself. Our strategy is to keep no 'red line' or limitation.' His remarks make clear that Tehran views any possible new conflict in a very different dimension from previous ones.
He added: 'We will break the time and space boundaries of this conflict. The war will run for a much longer time and across a much wider geography than the enemy assumes.' In other words, he signalled that if a conflict begins, it will not remain confined to Iran and its attackers, but will spread across a wide region.
According to Iranian media reports, Rezaei declared: 'When war starts, not only military targets but also cables, data centres and AI facilities may be targeted. If the conflict spreads again, we will have broader plans in hand.' The warning is especially significant because it names civilian-economic infrastructure beyond military targets.
Explaining his reasoning, Rezaei said: 'There can be no settlement in which Iran's economic heartlands come under attack while the economic structure behind those attacks remains intact and protected.' Iran's position, in short, is that any response will not be limited to military bases; the economic base behind an attack will also be a target.
The Gulf states' oil installations and data infrastructure are vital to the world economy. A threat to strike them is therefore not only a question of regional security — it could also affect energy supplies and global technology services. That is why Tehran's warning has quickly become a talking point internationally.
The tone of statements from both sides suggests the 3 November US midterm elections have become an important deadline in this tension. US reports have pointed to the period after the elections as the possible time for an attack, while Iran is publicly setting out the outline of its response in advance.
Overall, there are fresh signs of tension in the Gulf region. On one side, reports of a joint strike target list being prepared; on the other, an open warning of strikes on the energy and technology infrastructure of seven countries. Which way the situation now turns is the question to watch.
