Iran Threatens US Energy Assets Amid Escalating Tensions
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf issued a warning to the US, stating that if American assets are struck, they will be hit back. This comes as tensions escalate over the Strait of Hormuz, with oil prices nearing six-week highs.
The warning was made after US and Iranian forces traded strikes on shipping over the weekend. Senior Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran would soon announce a new restricted zone in the Gulf and establish a new shipping corridor through the strait. The restricted zone will begin where a US naval blockade of Iran starts and extend into parts of the Gulf.
Iran has tightened restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz since the war began with US and Israeli strikes on February 28. The disruption is affecting oil flows, with an average of only 10 commodity vessels a day passing through the strait over the past 10 days, the lowest level since May.