Iran Warns US Energy Assets in Gulf Are Vulnerable After Latest Clashes

• Iran’s latest warning that S.-linked energy infrastructure in the Gulf could be targeted highlights the risk of further escalation and renewed disruption to global energy flows. The threat followed another exchange of attacks over the weekend, with no clear sign of diplomatic progress after more than six months of conflict.
• 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 U.S. ​and Israeli strikes on February 28.
• 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 of Hormuz. He said the zone would begin where a U.S. naval blockade of Iran starts and extend into parts of the Gulf, with any vessel entering the area placed on an Iranian sanctions list.
• The attacks have fuelled fears of a ​renewed Israeli military campaign despite a June ceasefire with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. They also complicate efforts to end the wider conflict, with Tehran insisting that any lasting agreement with Washington must ​include an end to Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
• Tehran’s clerical rulers remain in power and aim to emerge from the war in a stronger position. They continue to demand sanctions relief and hope eventually to collect fees from ships using the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about one-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, while diplomatic efforts have made little headway.

 (Source: Reuters)