Iran’s military issued a stark warning on Saturday (March 14) in direct response to US President Donald Trump’s threats against Kharg Island, pledging to destroy all regional oil and energy facilities tied to American interests should its own infrastructure be hit.
Iranian Spokesperson’s fiery retaliation threat
The spokesperson for the Central Headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters declared that any attack on Iran’s oil infrastructure would trigger the obliteration of “all the oil and energy infrastructure belonging to oil companies across the region that have American shares or cooperate with the United States,” reducing them to “a pile of ashes.” This statement, reported widely in Iranian media, comes hours after Trump boasted that US forces had already “obliterated” military sites on Kharg Island- Iran’s primary oil export terminal- and hinted that energy facilities could be next in line. The rhetoric escalates tensions in the nearly two-week-old conflict, where Iran’s parliament speaker had similarly cautioned of unprecedented retaliation just a day prior.
US escalates with $10M Bounty on new Supreme Leader
Compounding the crisis, the US State Department unveiled a $10 million reward on Friday (March 13) through its “Rewards for Justice” program for tips leading to the capture of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei- son of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei- along with the interior minister and intelligence chief. The bounty targets those accused of terrorism against US interests, offering not just cash but potential relocation for informants. This follows coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Iranian military sites, met by Tehran’s missile and drone barrages starting February 28 (Saturday), marking the conflict’s explosive opening.
Trump’s G7 boast: Iran on brink of surrender
During a virtual G7 summit on Wednesday, Donald Trump claimed Iran’s regime is “about to surrender” amid Operation “Epic Fury,” describing the campaign as excising a “cancer threatening us all.” He labelled Tehran’s leaders “deranged scumbags,” calling it his “great honour” to eliminate them while vowing to “destroy the terrorist regime of Iran” through relentless military action. As drone and missile exchanges persist into the war’s second week, these pronouncements underscore Washington’s aggressive posture, with additional US Marines and an amphibious ship already en route to the Middle East for reinforcement.