Iran04 September, 20263 min read
Iran Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref Warns US of Dark Months Ahead Over Oil Shortages
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Iran's VP Aref warned of 'dark months' ahead for the US due to oil shortages. Iran claimed strikes targeted US bases; Gulf region attacks and at least 18 deaths reported.
8 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Iran Reviews US Negotiation Proposals As Pakistan And Qatar Mediate Strait Of Hormuz Dispute →
The Jerusalem Post was read line by line by the Watchdog: 2.8. See the score →
Oil threats and strikes
Iran’s vice president Mohammad Reza Aref warned the US that “dark months await” because of oil shortages, urging Americans “should start thinking about stockpiling” as the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted since the conflict began back in February. Aref also wrote on X that “America's new crimes against the Iranian nation have changed our security equations and defence doctrine,” adding that “From now on, our response will be 'asymmetrical,' 'multi-layered,' and 'depriving the aggressor of security.'”. Sky News reported that six members of Iran's navy were killed in recent waves of US strikes on the country, with the Mehr state news agency in Iran naming the personnel and saying they died in attacks on locations in Iran's south.
Sky News also said a separate semi-official news outlet, Tasnim, reported that three Iranian army pilots were killed in US strikes carried out on Tuesday night. The same Sky News update said Iran’s health ministry earlier put the number of people killed at 18, including four at a wedding ceremony in Sirik county, and said more than 140 were wounded since the US resumed its attacks at the start of this week.
Skepticism over wedding
CBS News reported that Vice President JD Vance said he was “extremely skeptical” about whether the US hit a wedding party, while the report said Tehran claims the strikes killed at least 18 people throughout the country. CBS News also quoted Vance saying, “I wouldn't call it a war,” when asked if the war would be over by November's midterm elections.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said Vance was probing Iran’s claims of a wedding party attack but described him as “skeptical” of reports coming out of Iran. In parallel, Sky News said Israel’s defence ministry vowed to strike Iran’s energy and civilian infrastructure if Iran were to attack Israel, quoting Israel Katz telling defence ministry employees, “We will cripple all of Iran's national military and civilian infrastructure - including energy infrastructure.”
Diplomacy, repression, and risk
Beyond battlefield claims, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that a UN fact-finding mission called on Iran to “immediately withdraw” a draft bill known as the Countering Foreign Influence bill, warning that adoption could undermine fundamental freedoms.
The same Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty report said the mission warned that if adopted into a law, journalists, academics, activists, and others could face up to 30 years in prison for communicating with foreign entities, and it quoted Sara Hossain saying: “We are appalled at the steps by the government of Iran to subject everyday Iranians to blanket criminalization”.
In the Gulf, Sky News said the security chief of the Iranian parliament told ICANA that the “Strait of Hormuz will not reopen without the will of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” and it added that “The conditions in the Persian Gulf have changed,” according to Ebrahim Azizi.
Sky News also reported that oil prices rose 11% to near six-week highs, with Brent crude climbing 1.8% to $97.33 a barrel and benchmark US crude rising 2.1% to $92.92 a barrel.
Meanwhile, PBS News Hour said U.S. Central Command told reporters it was “looking into” Iranian state media reports about a strike hitting a home in a town overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, and it quoted a spokesperson saying, “The U.S. military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC.”