Iran Vows Retaliation Against Potential U.S.-Israeli Strikes as Tensions Escalate in Gulf
Senior Iranian official says Tehran has detailed response plans, while tanker attack off Oman and competing claims over Strait of Hormuz deepen regional crisis
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - A senior Iranian official said Tehran has prepared comprehensive plans to respond to any future U.S. or Israeli military action, warning that Iran would target regional energy infrastructure if attacked, as tensions continue to escalate across the Gulf.
Speaking to Iran's Tasnim News Agency, the senior official said: "We have a detailed and comprehensive plan to respond to any hostile act by the United States." The official added that Iran's response plan includes targeting Israel's energy infrastructure as well as U.S. energy facilities across the Middle East.
The official further warned that Iran would respond forcefully to any attack by the United States or Israel, saying that the recent 40-day war had demonstrated Tehran's ability to retaliate and disrupt regional energy supplies.
The remarks came after The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported that U.S. President Donald Trump has approved plans for a new military operation against Iran aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran and forcing it either to surrender or return to negotiations.
According to the report, military operations could begin as early as this weekend and continue for several days.
Trump told reporters on Friday that he is prepared to resume intensive military operations, saying he believes powerful strikes against Iran would weaken the country's leadership and force it to retreat from its current positions.
Military tensions between Washington and Tehran have intensified since the collapse of the July 8 ceasefire.
Oil tanker attacked off Oman's coast
Separately, Britain's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Saturday that an oil tanker was struck by an unidentified weapon off the coast of the Sultanate of Oman.
According to UKMTO, the vessel "was struck by an unidentified weapon," causing damage to its engine room. The agency said no injuries were reported.
The incident occurred approximately 12.5 nautical miles off the coast of Lima, Oman, according to the maritime authority. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The incident follows fresh claims by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which said it had targeted two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz for allegedly violating regulations and forced four additional tankers to alter their routes.
In its latest statement, the IRGC claimed the vessels attempted to transit under U.S. aerial protection and rejected recent statements issued by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) regarding maritime operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC also reiterated that its naval forces continue to exercise full control over the Strait of Hormuz and warned that U.S. military intervention and what it described as unlawful directives issued to commercial shipping "will not go unanswered."