Iran vows to target U.S.-linked oil assets if its energy infrastructure under attack

TEHRAN, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Saturday warned that any attack on Iran's oil and energy infrastructure would trigger retaliation against regional facilities linked to U.S. companies.

In an interview with U.S. broadcaster MS Now, Araghchi responded to Friday's U.S. strike on Kharg Island, Iran's southern strategic oil terminal, and to President Donald Trump's threat to target the island's oil infrastructure if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted.

"Our armed forces have already stated that they will retaliate if our oil and energy infrastructure is attacked. They will strike any energy facility in the region that belongs to or is partially owned by an American company," Araghchi said.

He also claimed that Friday's U.S. strikes originated from two locations in the United Arab Emirates: Ras Al-Khaimah and an area near Dubai, cautioning that using densely populated regions to launch attacks on Iran is highly dangerous.

"We would certainly retaliate, but we try to avoid hitting populated areas," he added.

Echoing the warning, Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the country's primary military command, said any attack on Iran's oil, economic, or energy infrastructure would prompt immediate strikes on regional facilities affiliated with American companies. "All oil, economic, and energy infrastructure linked to U.S. interests will be destroyed and reduced to a pile of ashes," spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari told the official IRNA news agency.

Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz remains open to shipping, except for vessels belonging to Iran's enemies and their allies. While some ships avoid the waterway due to security concerns, many tankers continue to pass through.

Despite the strike, oil exports from Kharg Island continue uninterrupted. Ehsan Jahanian, deputy governor of Bushehr province, told semi-official Tasnim news agency that while military facilities and the airport on Kharg sustained damage, there were no casualties, and commercial operations remain ongoing.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior military commanders, and more than 1,300 civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli and U.S. bases and assets across the Middle East. ■