In retaliation for the Israeli strike on the South Pars gas field processing facilities, and also for the Israeli assassination of Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib, Iran hit oil and gas facilities in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E. with missiles and drones.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement afterward that forces responded to the “deceiving and lying enemy” which had targeted some energy facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, reported Tasnim. It said the hostile act of aggression against Iran was taken to suppress the voices of those who have been protesting in the streets against recent aggressions for the past 16 nights.
It added: “The Islamic Republic of Iran had no intention of escalating the conflict to oil facilities, nor did it wish to harm the economies of friendly neighboring countries. However, following the enemy’s aggression against energy infrastructures, the situation has effectively entered a new phase of warfare. The necessity to defend Iran’s infrastructure has compelled the IRGC to target energy facilities linked to the United States and American stakeholders.”
