An Iranian military commander has issued a direct warning to the country’s Gulf neighbours, threatening their oil production sites if their territory is used to launch attacks against Iran. The escalation comes as Washington’s ceasefire with Tehran was extended without a new deadline.
The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Aerospace Force told state-affiliated Fars News that if enemies continued to use Gulf territory to attack Iran, “they should say goodbye to oil production in the Middle East region.” He said Gulf states that allowed their land to be used against Iran faced having their “economic lifeline” placed at serious risk.
Most significantly, the commander announced that Iran’s “target list” had expanded beyond military installations to include major oil fields and refineries across the Middle East. He named specific sites in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, according to Fars News.
Many of those Gulf nations are US allies, and several host American military bases. Saudi Arabia’s Aramco and the UAE’s ADNOC operate some of the world’s largest oil production facilities in the named countries.
The warning widens the potential theatre of the Iran conflict well beyond the Strait of Hormuz, where the US Navy continues to blockade Iranian ports pending a “unified proposal” from Tehran. Any strike on Gulf oil infrastructure would immediately remove a substantial share of global crude supply and upend the relative market calm that followed Tuesday’s ceasefire extension.
Brent crude was trading at around $98.32 a barrel on Wednesday morning as markets weighed the mixed signals from Washington and Tehran.
