IRGC Navy Commander Warns World Would ‘Pay Heavy Price’ if Iran’s Kharg Island Oil Facilities Are Targeted

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The commander of the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a stern warning after U.S. warplanes carried out airstrikes on Iranian military bases on Kharg Island, saying any attack on the island’s oil facilities would have severe global consequences.

Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the IRGC Navy, wrote on the social media platform X that targeting the strategic island could drastically disrupt global energy markets.

“You have already tested Iran at the Strait of Hormuz,” Tangsiri said. “If control of this narrow waterway alone has sent new signals to global oil prices, then attacking Kharg will create a far worse and more frightening equation regarding energy prices and global supply.”

The remarks followed U.S. airstrikes on Iranian military bases on Kharg Island in the Gulf earlier this month.

On March 14, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi addressed the regional security situation during a press conference, warning that Iran would retaliate if its energy infrastructure were targeted.

“Our forces will respond to any attack on Iran's energy facilities,” Araghchi said. “If our facilities come under attack, our forces will target the facilities of American companies in the region or any installations in which the United States has a stake.”

Araghchi also claimed that the strike on Kharg Island was launched from the territory of neighboring countries, alleging that U.S. forces fired missiles from those states.

Meanwhile, U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said Iran’s economy would collapse if it lost control of its key oil infrastructure on Kharg Island.

Writing on X, Graham stated: “He who controls Kharg Island controls the destiny of this war.”