Tension as Iran Threatens to Strike US Oil Assets After Latest Tanker Attacks in Gulf
- Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf issued a direct warning to the US over strikes on Iranian assets, saying American oil and gas companies in the region share the same exposure
- Senior Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei said Iran would announce plans for a new restricted zone in the Gulf within days, with any ship entering the zone added to an Iranian sanctions list
- Oil prices climbed to six-week highs after US forces struck three Iranian tankers on Saturday, with Brent crude briefly touching $97.93 a barrel before pulling back
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues.
Tehran, Iran - Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned the United States (US) on Monday, September 7, 2026, that any further strikes on Iranian assets would be met with retaliation.
As reported by Reuters, Qalibaf pointed to the vulnerability of American oil and gas operations across the Gulf region.
Source: UGC
ABC News also reported on Iran’s latest threat.
"Strike our assets and you get struck. We've already proven it. Ask the bases that are no longer viable," Qalibaf wrote on X, referring to earlier Iranian strikes on US military bases during the conflict.
He added that "the oil and gas production chain here is sprawling, accessible, and exposed" and that American energy companies operating in those waters shared that same risk.
The warning came after US forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, September 5, according to US Central Command, including one near Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export hub. The strikes followed attacks by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on US warships in the Gulf.
Iran sets new Gulf restricted zone
Mohsen Rezaei, a senior Iranian security official, said on Sunday, September 6, that Iran would announce the boundaries of a new restricted zone in the Gulf within days. He noted that the zone would begin at the edge of a US naval blockade of Iran and extend into Gulf waters, and that any vessel entering it would be added to Iran's sanctions list. Rezaei also said Iran would soon approve maps for a new shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz.
Rezaei said:
"We will only commit to the Strait of Hormuz being open when they stop the sabotage, threats and attacks on Iran."
The strait has been under severe pressure since the US-Iran war began with American and Israeli strikes on February 28. Only an average of 10 commodity ships transited it per day over the past 10 days, the lowest figure since May, according to shipping data. That squeeze pushed Brent crude futures to a six-week high of $97.93 a barrel before the price slipped back to $96.19.
Hormuz crisis deepens Iran’s economic woes
US President Donald Trump launched what he called "Operation Epic Fury" in February, aiming to end Iran's nuclear programme, stop it from attacking its neighbours, and create conditions for Iranians to remove their own government. Tehran's leadership remains in place and is pressing for sanctions relief while seeking to collect transit fees from ships using the strait.
After a relatively quiet August, strikes on both sides resumed following the collapse of an interim ceasefire reached in June. Peace negotiations have made little headway since.
Three senior Iranian sources told Reuters the US campaign to choke off Iran's oil exports and close sanctions loopholes is becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to bear economically. Qalibaf acknowledged this pressure at the weekend, citing currency instability, rising inflation, and unemployment as serious domestic challenges.
The conflict has also strained neighbouring Gulf states. UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said on Monday, September 7, his country was actively building alternative routes for energy exports and trade so they would not be "held hostage" by the war. Rising fuel prices in the US, partly linked to the Hormuz disruption, are adding political pressure on Trump's Republican Party ahead of November congressional elections.
Watch the video on X below, highlighting Iran and the Middle East's turmoil:
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UAE to unlock billions of dollars for Iran
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the UAE agreed to unlock billions of dollars for Iran, four sources said, in a tactical shift after weeks of Iranian attacks on the wealthy Gulf Arab state during the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic.
Word of the move by the UAE to seek de-escalation, which has not been previously reported, coincides with the final stages of broader negotiations between Tehran and Washington on ending the war, talks that diplomats say could involve the release of tens of billions of dollars in Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks under US sanctions.
Source: Legit.ng
