'Strike our assets and you will get struck': Qalibaf warns US

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has warned the United States that any attack on Iran’s oil and gas assets will draw retaliation against American energy interests across the region. Qalibaf issued the stark warning in a post on X on Monday in response to recent threats by US War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had claimed that Iran's oil tanker fleet is "defenseless" and that American planes, ships and submarines can strike them all. The top Iranian parliamentarian said US oil and gas companies operating across the region and at related facilities are accessible, warning, “Strike our assets and you get struck." “It’s simple: the oil and gas production chain here is sprawling, accessible, and exposed." 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. Strike our assets and you get struck. We’ve already proven it. Ask the bases that are no longer viable. https://t.co/XiHAf6KzqV pic.twitter.com/0wBf40K4D3 — محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) September 7, 2026 Qalibaf said Iran had already demonstrated its ability to respond in kind, emphasizing, “Ask the bases that are no longer viable.” His remarks came amid escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz since the early days of the US-Israeli war of aggression that began on February 28 and came to a halt under a ceasefire in early April amid the Islamic Republic’s brave resistance and successful retaliatory operations. On June 17, Tehran and Washington signed the Pakistan-brokered Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), whose Article 5 places responsibility for reopening and managing the strait squarely in Iran’s hands. Minister: Iran has bypassed US naval blockade to keep oil deliveries flowing Petroleum Minister Mohsen Paknejad says Iran However, the US attempted to undermine Iran’s sovereignty over the vital global energy chokepoint by establishing an unsafe corridor near the Omani shores. The US also resumed its aerial assaults on Iran and imposed a naval blockade of the country in violation of the war-ending deal. The unlawful US measures prompted Iran to declare the Strait of Hormuz closed to all traffic. The Islamic Republic has stressed that the reopening of the critical waterway depends on US compliance with its obligations under the MoU.