DUBAI/TEHRAN: Iran threatened on Monday to retaliate against any new US attacks on its assets, warning that energy infrastructure across the Gulf, including US oil and gas interests, was vulnerable.

“Strike our assets and you get struck,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said after US and Iranian strikes on shipping at the weekend that pushed oil prices up near six-week highs on Monday.

The latest threat underscores the risks of further escalation after the sides traded blows again at the weekend, with no sign of progress towards a diplomatic breakthrough that could end more than six months of conflict and restore normal energy flows through the Gulf.

Iran has tightened restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil and gas supplies, since the war began with US and Israeli strikes on Feb 28.

Tehran warns Seoul against ‘involvement in Hormuz’

On Sunday, senior Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran would soon announce a new restricted zone in the Gulf and unveil a new shipping corridor through the strait. Rezaei said the zone would begin where a US naval blockade of Iran starts and extend into parts of the Gulf. Any vessel entering the area would be placed on an Iranian sanctions list.

“We will only commit to the Strait of Hormuz being open when they (the Americans) stop the sabotage, threats and attacks on Iran,” Rezaei said. Qalibaf later reinforced Tehran’s warning in what appeared to be a response to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had described Iran’s oil tanker fleet as “defenceless”.

“It’s simple: the oil and gas production chain here is sprawling, accessible, and exposed. American oil and gas companies across these waters and facilities share that exposure,” Qalibaf, who is Iran’s top negotiator, wrote on X.

US President Donald Trump has yet to achieve the aims he set out when he launched “Operation Epic Fury” in February: to end Iran’s nuclear programme, halt its ability to attack its neighbours and create conditions for Iranians to topple their leadership.

Tehran’s clerical rulers remain in power and aim to emerge from the war stronger than before. They continue to demand sanctions relief and hope eventually to collect fees from ships using the strait, which carried a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war.

After a relative lull through much of August, hostilities have intensified again following the collapse of an interim ceasefire reached in June. Diplomatic efforts have made little headway.

Low shipping

On Saturday, US forces struck three Iranian oil tankers, including one near Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, according to US Central Command. The attacks followed strikes by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on US warships operating in the region.

Tehran has demonstrated it can still attack US interests in neighbouring countries and disrupt oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping data showed an average of just 10 commodity vessels per day transited the strait over the past 10 days, the lowest level since May.

Warning to South Korea

Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday warned South Korea against military deployment or involvement in US operations in the Strait of Hormuz, saying such a move would have “serious consequences”.

On Friday, Seoul said it was considering “contributions” to US security efforts in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has largely controlled since the outbreak of war against the United States on Feb 28. South Korea said it would consider the move provided that its own military readiness was not compromised, but added that no decision had been made.

On Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei warned South Korea against succumbing to what he called “US pressure and intimidation”.

“Any military deployment or participation in operations by other countries in the Persian Gulf or the Strait of Hormuz can only be regarded as direct support for the party responsible for that aggression and will have serious consequences,” he said in a post on X.

Iran and the United States have continued to trade fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz, even after an April ceasefire brought the initial intense bombardment campaign to an end. Negotiations between the two foes have stalled as they vied for control over Hormuz, which normally carries around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas exports.

Since the war erupted, traffic through the vital waterway has been virtually paralysed, disrupting global energy markets.

Iran has required vessels to seek permission to transit — a move opposed by Washington and several regional countries — insisting that there will be no return to the pre-war system of unrestricted navigation.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2026