Iran warns it would target Gulf oil and AI sites in a new war
Iran’s security officials said the country would strike oil facilities, undersea cables, data centres and AI sites in as many as seven Gulf states if the US and Israel launch another attack. An adviser said Tehran would set no limits and widen the conflict beyond what its adversaries expect. The report said Iran’s ability to carry out such operations could influence any US decision to restart the war.
Iran’s supreme national security council secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, said any renewed US-Israeli assault could bring retaliation against Gulf oil infrastructure, submarine cables, data centres and AI sites in up to seven states. An adviser to negotiator Mohammad Ghalibaf, Mehdi Mohammadi, said Washington and Jerusalem had tentatively agreed to attack but could not assure success, and described the next war as a threat to Iran’s survival with no limits.
US military planners reportedly listed targets for a possible joint operation after the 3 November midterms. Regional foreign ministers plan to meet in Istanbul on Friday. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards naval arm claimed strikes on commercial vessels near Hormuz; Brent crude reached $113.4.
A wider conflict could expose people in Gulf states to disruptions from strikes on energy, communications and data infrastructure, affecting workers, households and businesses reliant on those systems. Higher oil prices may raise transport and food costs beyond the region, while uncertainty could unsettle financial markets. Communities in Iran and Israel could also face greater insecurity if deterrence fails.