TEHRAN — Iranian military officials issued a stern warning to the United States on Friday, threatening to initiate a complete energy “blackout” across the Persian Gulf if American forces target Iran’s power infrastructure.
Major General Gholamali Rashid, a top commander in Iran’s armed forces, declared during a press conference that “any aggression against our power plants will be met with a decisive and symmetric response against the power sources of our enemies in the region.“
He further warned that Iran has the capability to “darken” the key strategic waterway, suggesting that infrastructure and oil fields across neighboring Gulf states allied with the U.S. could be within range of an Iranian retaliatory strike.
The escalated rhetoric follows reports of heightened regional tensions and ongoing disputes over maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani echoed the warning, stating that Iran “will not hesitate to use all its power and defensive capabilities to protect its critical infrastructure.“
The threat from Tehran directly impacts the regional power grid, particularly for nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that are linked via an interconnectivity network. Any disruption to Iranian generation or a direct strike on regional hubs could lead to widespread and devastating power failures across the oil-rich region.
The international community is calling for de-escalation, with mediators in the European Union urging all sides to exercise maximum restraint and focus on a diplomatic resolution to the mounting tensions.
The warnings have already created volatility in global energy markets, as traders weigh the potential for a catastrophic disruption to power and oil transit through the world’s most critical maritime choke point.–News Desk