Tehran, Iran – A new wave of heightened tensions has gripped Iran, with authorities issuing a stark warning against ‘flames of war’ following escalating US threats against critical energy infrastructure. Military strikes across the region continue, intensifying the risk of conflict. Addressing regional neighbors, Major General Ali Abdollahi, head of Iran’s wartime military command, stated, ‘The United States is moving at an accelerating pace to fan the flames of a full-scale regional war,’ emphasizing the potential for a catastrophic escalation. President Donald Trump has yet to provide final authorization for a potential two-week operation aimed at disrupting electricity supply across Iran’s capital, Tehran, and causing widespread disruptions throughout the country. Reports indicate that US media outlets suggest the US and Israel may be immediately launching an extensive wave of attacks, citing unnamed sources, targeting Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including power plants and petrochemical manufacturers. The Iranian state-linked Tasnim news website reported that armed forces have prepared an extensive plan of retaliation, including hitting ‘vital infrastructure’ linked with the US and Israel, and suggesting the possibility of a 40-year setback for Iran’s Defence Minister. Since the beginning of the war on February 28, the US and Israel have targeted military bases and leaders across Iran, but also focused on civilian infrastructure, parts of which will require years and extensive investments to rebuild. The bombing has exacerbated Iran’s internal woes, including a contracting economy and a major energy imbalance. In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s regular army have launched ballistic missiles and drones at US and Israeli military bases across the region, while also responding to energy attacks by striking energy infrastructure in Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman. Amid the threats of escalation, strikes have intensified across the region in recent days. The US military attacked at least five Iranian provinces overnight into Thursday, claiming targets were IRGC command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and air-defence sites, and maritime capabilities. Several soldiers and multiple civilians were among the casualties, including a two-year-old boy killed in a Qeshm incident. On Saturday, Kuwait’s army reported destroying multiple Iranian drones within the country’s airspace, with some damage reported to government facilities and civilian vehicles. At least two vessels were hit off the coast of Oman, with one suffering damage to its engine room, according to Western maritime authorities. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that authorities have not sent requests for negotiations to Washington amid the latest attacks, but messages have been relayed through mediators. Ghalibaf, the Supreme National Security Council secretary, signaled that continued military strikes and a naval blockade by the US only worsen the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. The global economy, and US energy market, and voters will pay the price. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it has not sent any requests for negotiations to Washington amid the latest attacks, but discussions are ongoing over how to handle an eventual reopening of the strait. Speaking on Saturday, Iran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf again appeared to signal a need to reach a negotiated resolution that would formalise perceived gains from military action, and did not elaborate. Ghalibaf said authorities must aim to give the office of the supreme leader in Iran greater latitude in making decisions about the future, but did not elaborate. In Tehran on Saturday, the first day of the week in Iran, the public message being broadcast by the authorities was still one of vengeance for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the US-Israel war, along with dozens of other officials. A huge banner in central Tehran’s Valiasr Square depicted a boy with a red headband carrying a flag of blood revenge. The headline was ‘Trump, his advisers and allies are frustrated by Iran’s steadfastness.’ The article further details the intensifying US and Israeli attacks on Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including power plants and petrochemical manufacturing, and highlights the potential for a significant disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, which is a crucial shipping lane for oil and gas. The US military has targeted at least five Iranian provinces overnight into Thursday, claiming targets were IRGC command centres, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and air-defence sites, and maritime capabilities. Several soldiers and multiple civilians were among the casualties, including a two-year-old boy killed in a Qeshm incident. On Saturday, Kuwait’s army said its air defences destroyed multiple Iranian drones within the country’s airspace, with some damage reported to government facilities and civilian vehicles. In Iraq, sporadic drone attacks have targeted Iranian Kurdish opposition groups, which have raised the idea of entering the conflict to topple the Islamic Republic in Iran. Two Kurdish armed groups separately claimed they were targeted on Friday. Pro-Iran media in Iraq said on Saturday that a refinery in Erbil’s southern island of Qeshm was on fire after being targeted by an unnamed actor. The latest attacks in Iraq come days after the US and Saudi Arabia jointly attacked bases belonging to Iraqi armed forces who are aligned with Tehran, killing at least 20 fighters and multiple IRGC advisers. Those attacks came in response to attacks on Saudi energy facilities and disruptions created in the Bab al-Mandeb and the Red Sea by the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen. In southern Lebanon, the Israeli army continues to occupy large areas of land, destroying villages and infrastructure, while also detonating structures purportedly belonging to Iran-backed Hezbollah. The Iranian state-linked Tasnim news website reported that armed forces have prepared an extensive plan of retaliation to the “potential madness” of the US by hitting ‘vital infrastructure’ linked with the US and Israel. The article concludes by emphasizing the growing uncertainty and potential for a significant geopolitical crisis as the situation continues to evolve. The US military has attacked at least five Iranian provinces overnight into Thursday, claiming targets were IRGC command centres, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and air-defence sites, and maritime capabilities. The global economy, and US energy market, and voters will pay the price. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that authorities have not sent requests for negotiations to Washington amid the latest attacks, but messages have been relayed through mediators. Ghalibaf, the Supreme National Security Council secretary, signaled that continued military strikes and a naval blockade by the US only worsen the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, and did not elaborate. The article concludes by reiterating the escalating tensions and the potential for a major geopolitical crisis.””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
Source: Al Jazeera
