Iran threatens to ‘set region’s oil and gas on fire’ if energy infrastructure attacked

Amid its ongoing war with the United States and Israel, Iran on Thursday warned that any strike on its energy infrastructure would trigger widespread disruption to the region’s oil and gas industry, raising fears of further escalation in a conflict that has already rattled global energy markets.

A spokesperson for Iran’s military central operational command, Khatam al-Anbiya, said the country would retaliate strongly if its oil and gas facilities or ports were targeted. “We will set the region’s oil and gas on fire with the slightest attack on Iran’s energy infrastructure and ports,” the spokesperson said.

The warning comes as fighting between Iran and the US–Israel alliance intensifies, with both sides launching strikes across the region.

Iranian security chief Ali Larijani said the country would not back down until the United States regretted what he described as a “grave miscalculation” in launching the war against the Islamic republic.

Responding to remarks by US President Donald Trump, who has said he is seeking a quick victory, Larijani said on social media platform X that wars could not be won through rhetoric.

“Trump says he is looking for a speedy victory. While starting a war is easy, it cannot be won with a few tweets,” Larijani said. “We will not relent until making you sorry for this grave miscalculation.”

New supreme leader vows revenge
In his first statement since assuming power, Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed revenge for those killed since the war began.

The statement, read out on state television, said retaliation had already begun but would continue until Iran achieved what it described as full justice. “A limited amount of this revenge has so far taken concrete form, but until it is fully achieved, this case will remain among our priorities,” Khamenei said.

“We will seek compensation from the enemy, and if they refuse, we will take as much of their property as we determine, and if that is not possible, we will destroy the same amount of his property.”

Khamenei, 56, has not appeared in public since being declared supreme leader earlier this week following the killing of his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in US and Israeli strikes that triggered the wider conflict. Iranian state television had earlier reported that the new leader had been wounded during the ongoing war.

In his statement, Khamenei also called for the closure of US military bases across the region, accusing Washington of falsely claiming to bring stability to the Middle East.

“The claim of establishing security and peace by America was nothing more than a lie,” he said.

He also reiterated Iran’s willingness to use what he described as the “lever” of blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a move that could severely disrupt global oil trade.

Rising casualties
Iran’s health ministry said on March 8 that more than 1,200 people had been killed and over 10,000 civilians injured since the war began.

The conflict started after US and Israeli strikes on February 28 targeted senior Iranian leadership, including the killing of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has since responded with drone and missile attacks targeting Israel and US interests across the region, while also tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Khamenei also thanked Iran’s regional allies, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthi rebels and armed groups in Iraq, describing them as key members of the so-called “Resistance Front”.

“We consider the countries of the Resistance Front our best friends, and the cause of resistance and the Resistance Front are an inseparable part of the values of the Islamic Revolution,” he said.

Following the statement, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had launched fresh strikes on Israel and US bases across the region in tribute to Khamenei and his family.
(With AFP inputs.)