'We will turn your oil facilities into piles of ash': Iran’s severe warning to US over Kharg Island strike

An Iranian missile has reportedly hit five US refuelling aircraft stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

New Delhi: Amidst a fierce, 15-day-long conflict involving Israel, the United States, and Iran, Iran has issued a major threat to the USA. Iran has declared that it will turn oil facilities linked to the United States into "piles of ash." The war, which began in the Middle East on February 28, has now emerged as a primary catalyst for a major global oil crisis. Numerous countries across the world are facing a severe energy crunch, while oil prices continue to surge.

Iran issues stern warning

Iran has warned that if attacks on its oil infrastructure persist, all major oil and energy facilities linked to American companies within the Middle East region will be completely obliterated, thereby reducing them to "piles of ash." This threat comes at a time when the two-week-old conflict in the Middle East has already triggered a massive surge in global oil prices and precipitated a worldwide energy crisis.

Crisis in Strait of Hormuz

In a statement issued just a day prior, Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, explicitly declared that he would avenge the martyrdom of his father, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and would maintain the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Iranian officials have reported that the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, combined with regional attacks, is disrupting more than one-fifth of the global oil trade, driving crude oil prices in the international market to record-high levels. Analysts believe that should the situation deteriorate further, it could have a profound impact on the global economy, with major oil-importing nations, such as India, standing to be severely affected.

Big blow to Netanyahu and Trump

Meanwhile, in a big blow to Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump, an Iranian missile has reportedly hit five US refuelling aircraft and Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The attack on US and Saudi assets is a huge setback for Trump and Netanyahu, as both countries did not expect Iran to launch such a massive retaliatory counterattack in response to their strikes on Iran, code-named Operation Epic Fury.

According to the Wall Street Journal, five US Air Force refuelling aircraft were damaged in an Iranian missile strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The report quoted two US officials as saying the aircraft were on the ground when the missiles struck. As per the WSJ report, the US planes that were involved in the attack were KC-135 refuelling tankers.