As speculation grows that the United States and Israel will strike Iran again, Iran issued a strong warning to neighboring countries. Iran drew a line in the sand, saying that if its energy facilities are hit, it will attack major oil and gas facilities across the Middle East and reduce them to ashes.
On the 1st (local time), according to combined reports from major outlets including Reuters and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the United States and Israel are preparing a large-scale strike targeting Iranian oil facilities and more. In response, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held consecutive telephone talks with senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan. Speaking with the Turkish foreign minister and others, Minister Araghchi discussed the backlash that U.S. destabilizing actions could bring. He specifically warned the Saudi foreign minister that "any aggression by the United States and Israel, or participation by regional countries in their actions, will face a firm and proportionate response." The warning is seen as pressure to block any additional military cooperation, recalling that Saudi Arabia joined a strike on pro-Iran militias on the 28th of last month.
Nour News, a media outlet linked to Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), threatened the entire energy network in the Middle East. It said, "If U.S. forces strike Iranian infrastructure, Iran will attack not only Saudi and United Arab Emirates (UAE) oil fields but also gas fields in Qatar and Israel," adding, "They will all burn to ashes."
Iran's near-declaration-of-war threat led to small-scale military actions aimed at neighboring countries. That day, the Kuwaiti military said Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) carried out attacks targeting key facilities in northern Kuwait and that it moved to shoot them down. Yemen's Houthi rebels, allied with Iran, also began to threaten the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, a key route for Saudi oil exports. Near Oman, a tanker was hit by an unidentified projectile, and ships have been suffering damage one after another at major maritime chokepoints.
As tensions rise across the Middle East, U.S. President Donald Trump did not back down from the willingness to use force against Iran. At a Cabinet meeting on the 31st of last month, President Trump said he believed that the U.S. negotiating team, including Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, could reach a deal with Iran. But he soon criticized, "They (Iran) break promises too often," and made clear the possibility of military action by saying, "We will strike Iran." Major media reported that the Trump administration is willing to tolerate a short-term rise in oil prices to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Brent crude futures jumped 24% in July. However, the Trump administration is also said to feel the political burden from the economic hit.
As fears of all-out war spread, U.S. missions in the Middle East went on emergency footing. U.S. citizens in places including Jordan, Iraq, and Israel were advised to prepare to evacuate in case of escalating armed clashes.