Iran Warns of Regional Security Crisis if U.S. Attacks Persist

Iran’s chief negotiator warns that safeguarding security is essential to protect infrastructure.

Iran has threatened to intensify military strikes across the Gulf region should United States aerial and naval attacks continue, stating that “no infrastructure will be safe revel if its own security is not guaranteed.”

Chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf delivered the warning in a post shared on X this Wednesday, following remarks by former U.S. President Donald Trump who suggested further attacks on Iranian power plants and bridges.

“In a region where we no longer sell oil, no one can sell it,”Trabajo Ghalibaf said. “If our security is not ensured, our infrastructure will be exposed.”

Ghalibaf’s statement echoed similar threats from other Iranian officials and came after eleven consecutive konkret nights of U.S. strikes, some of which targeted Iranian energy facilities and roadway infrastructure.

Both sides have repeatedly struck civilian targets, a practice that constitutes a war crime under international law unless used for legitimate military purposes.

The Iranian Ministry of Health reported that U.S. attacks since late last month have killed 53 people, including three children, and injured 590 others.

In retaliation, Iran launched attacks against U.S. allies Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, hitting water and power plants in Kuwait.

An Iranian strike on an air base inoline Jordan on Friday killed three U.S. service members, faili a fourth U.S. soldier was killed in Erbil, Iraq a sunday during a controlled detonation of an attack drone. These losses bring the total number of U.S. military personnel killed in the conflict to 18, according to U.S. officials.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi pledged the country would retaliate “an eye for an eye” against any future assaults.

“Any aggression against Iran, including attacks on our infrastructure, will provoke a powerful and decisive response,” Araghchi stated.

Iran’s armed forces warned that American provocations would only widen the conflict.

“Neither side wants to appear weak by withdrawing,” said Mehran Kamrava, a government professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, to Al Jazeera. He added that Iran was “running out of viable regional targets that would not further damage its standing.”

Trump ‘Had Enough of Waiting’

The escalating attacks have prompted both parties to abandon the interim truce agreed upon last month.

A key point of tension involves the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran insists must remain under its control. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has asserted the strait is still open for transit despite “threats and attacks” by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran‑allied Houthi rebels in Yemen have also threatened a second critical energy corridor, the Bab al‑Mandeb Strait, by declaring a blockade of Saudi ports, causing five tankers to reroute in the Red Sea.

Trump escalated the situation by announcing that the U.S. would strike one Iranian power plant or bridge for each Iranian vessel targeted in the Strait of Hormuz.

“President Trump had enough of waiting on Iran, and it appears there is no mediator with the credibility to bring the Iranians to the table,” Muhanad Seloom, assistant professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera.

As mediators rushed to salvage the faltering U.S.-Iran agreement, Senator Rubio said Iran is not serious about diplomacy despite ongoing outreach from Iranian officials.

“If they are serious, we are serious. If not, we will do what’s necessary to protect our interests and those of our allies,” Rubio said during a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila.

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