Iran30 July, 20263 min read
Trump Threatens Strikes on Iran Energy Infrastructure, Israel May Join as Iran Plans Retaliation
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Trump weighing strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure within days; Israel may join. Iran claims drone strikes on U.S. bases in Kuwait, targeting Ahmad al-Jaber and Ali Al-Salem.
Al Jazeera was read line by line by the Watchdog: 5.1. See the score →
Energy strikes loom
U.S. President Donald Trump is seriously considering attacking Iran’s energy facilities and infrastructure within days, with Axios citing an American official saying the campaign aims to push Iranians to agree to the United States’ terms in ceasefire negotiations.
The Al-Jazeera Net report says Trump hinted at the attack at the start of the Cabinet meeting on Friday, telling reporters: "Well, we'll hit them very hard, and as you know, at some point they will say, they can't take it anymore."
Al-Jazeera Net also reports that the strikes could involve the Israeli military for the first time in many weeks, and that such escalation is likely to lead to Iranian missile attacks on Israel.
In contrast, a senior Iranian official told Tasnim News Agency that Iran has prepared a broad plan to respond to any "possible American madness," including targeting Israel’s critical infrastructure and America’s energy infrastructure in the region.
The same report says the Iranian armed forces have proven they possess both the capability and the will to carry out such an action, while CBS News reported yesterday that Israel participates in the attacks and that the United States and Israel intend to launch a campaign against Iran’s energy infrastructure targets.
Kharg Island threat
Trump threatened to strike Iran’s oil infrastructure on Kharg Island unless Tehran stops its attacks on ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, after raids he said had 'completely destroyed' military targets on the island. In a post on social media, Trump wrote: 'If Iran or any other party does anything to interfere with the free and safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will reconsider this decision immediately'. Al24 News says Kharg Island serves as an export hub for about 90% of Iran’s oil shipments, and that Fars reported the Kharg Island oil infrastructure had not sustained any damage after American airstrikes targeting military sites.
The report adds that Iranian media said armed forces responded by warning that any strike against the oil and energy infrastructure in their country would trigger retaliatory strikes on facilities owned by oil companies cooperating with the United States in the region. Al24 News also states that Iran exported between 1.1 million and 1.5 million barrels per day from February 28, when the war began, through Wednesday, and that the Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Thursday to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed.
Regional retaliation cycle
Iran announced that it targeted United States military assets at Kuwait’s Ahmad Al-Jaber airbase in a drone attack, describing the operation as retaliation for U.S. strikes a day earlier.
Al Jazeera reports that the Iranian army said it targeted hangars, satellite communication systems and equipment warehouses using drones, and that the strike was carried out in response to a U.S. attack on a residential home on Qeshm island.
The same recap says the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it struck dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran overnight on Wednesday, and that three people were killed on Qeshm island when a residential building was hit.
Al Jazeera also quotes the IRGC promising it would retaliate, saying: "with the help of God Almighty, the aggressor will be punished today," according to Iran’s Fars news agency.
Separately, CNBC reports that Iran’s army claimed on Friday it launched attacks on strategic U.S. assets and military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, and it also says Iran claimed Thursday to have attacked U.S. facilities at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.