Tehran [Iran], March 19 (ANI): Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed responsibility for attacks on what it described as oil facilities associated with the United States in the region. The IRGC said the strikes were part of the 63rd wave of its ongoing retaliatory Operation True Promise 4, launched in response to U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The corps’ Public Relations Office said in a statement, “Staged with full force, the 63rd wave also came in retaliation for the martyrdom of Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib and others during the aggression.”
It added that the attacks were also intended to respond to what it described as efforts by adversaries to retaliate against Iran over ongoing nationwide rallies in support of the country’s Islamic establishment and in protest against the aggression.
“Attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure have taken the conflict to a new stage. The Islamic Republic did not intend to expand the war to oil facilities and did not wish to harm the economies of friendly and neighboring countries. However, with the enemy’s aggression against energy infrastructure, Iran has effectively entered a new stage of the conflict, and the necessity to defend the country’s energy infrastructure compelled a retaliatory strike against American-linked energy facilities,” the IRGC said.
The IRGC also claimed to have struck as many as 80 military and support targets in Israeli areas, including Rishon LeZion, Ramla, and Lod in central Israel; Eilat in the south; and Ramat Gan and Bnei Brak east of Tel Aviv, as well as Bat Yam and Holon south of Tel Aviv. It said the targets were hit using multi-warhead missiles and attack drones.
The group issued a stern warning to U.S. and Israeli forces against repeating strikes on Iran’s energy sites. “If this is repeated, subsequent attacks on your energy infrastructure and that of your allies will not cease until total destruction, and our response will be far more severe than tonight’s strikes,” it said.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States and Qatar were not aware of the attacks and reiterated that Israel would not target the South Pars Gas Field unless Iran attacks Qatar again. He warned that Washington would not hesitate to authorize massive retaliation against Tehran if Qatar’s energy facilities are targeted again.
“The United States knew nothing about this particular attack, and the country of Qatar was in no way, shape, or form involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen. Unfortunately, Iran did not know this, or any of the pertinent facts pertaining to the South Pars attack, and unjustifiably and unfairly attacked a portion of Qatar’s LNG gas facility. No more attacks will be made by Israel pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Gas Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar — in which instance the United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at a level of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before. I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long-term implications that it will have on the future of Iran, but if Qatar’s LNG is again attacked, I will not hesitate to do so,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
The attacks on Iran’s gas field and Qatar’s LNG facilities have pushed oil prices higher, with little indication of a near-term resolution to the conflict. (ANI)
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