Iran Warns US Against Strikes on Energy Facilities, Points to Exposed Production Chain

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has warned Washington against what he called misadventures targeting Iran’s energy facilities, saying any strike would bring sharp repercussions.

In a post on X, Ghalibaf described Iran’s oil and gas production chain as “sprawling, accessible, and exposed.” He added that American oil and gas companies operating across the region and their facilities shared that exposure. “Strike our assets, and you get struck,” he wrote, saying Iran had already demonstrated that capability.

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Strike our assets, and you get struck. We’ve already proven it. Ask the bases that are no longer viable.

Ghalibaf made the remarks while resharing a post by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Hegseth claimed Iran’s oil tanker fleet was defenceless and said the United States would destroy and sink Iranian tankers if Iran fired on US ships. He also asserted that Iran had no navy or air force and shared footage from US Central Command showing strikes on tankers.

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It’s simple: if Iran shoots at US ships, we will destroy and sink their oil tankers. All they have to do is not shoot at the US Navy.

The exchange comes amid heightened tensions between the two adversaries and growing concern over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important waterway for global energy trade. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran’s position on keeping the strait open depended directly on Washington’s military posture.

“Iran will commit to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open when the US neither threatens nor attacks Iran,” Rezaei told Iranian state broadcaster IRIB. His statement linked the future of shipping through the waterway to whether Washington stopped threatening or attacking Tehran.

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Iran will commit to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open when the US neither threatens nor attacks Iran.