Iranian threat targets energy and communications facilities in up to 7 Gulf states

Key Facts

An Iranian official said oil facilities, undersea cables, data centers and artificial intelligence facilities in up to 7 Gulf states could become targets if the United States and Israel renew their attack on Iran, according to The Guardian. The threat came as Cairo announced support for Saudi Arabia, with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi defining the scope of military assistance as defending the kingdom’s territory and borders. Sisi said the support would not include attacking Yemen, according to Reuters. Egypt’s National Defense Council had decided to provide the necessary and possible forms of support to Saudi Arabia to defend its security and stability, without announcing the deployment of troops or specifying a military mission. The regional threat thus intersects with an Egyptian course whose final form remains unclear, as the legislature prepares to discuss a possible mandate for the armed forces.

Egypt’s parliament postponed a vote on authorizing the armed forces to support Saudi Arabia until 26 October to allow for further deliberations, according to Reuters. The delay comes as the final form of Egyptian support remains unclear, despite Cairo’s announcement that it is prepared to provide possible assistance. In a parallel diplomatic move, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and intelligence chief Hassan Rashad visited Riyadh on Wednesday to deliver a message from Sisi to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Reuters did not give details of the message, but reported that Abdelatty called for exploring every opportunity to reach a political solution to the conflict in Yemen. This position places a call for a political settlement alongside consideration of defense support, without determining in advance the nature of Egypt’s role.

The Iranian threat, according to the statement reported by The Guardian, is based on the possibility of expanding the scope of targeting across the Gulf if there is a new US-Israeli attack, and is not limited to Saudi facilities. The targets listed by the official include oil facilities, undersea cables, data centers and artificial intelligence facilities, while the statement did not identify the countries concerned. On shipping, The Associated Press said October saw the highest number of reported attacks on commercial shipping since the first weeks of the war in March, citing the UK Maritime Trade Operations. Lloyd’s List Intelligence estimated the number of attacks on ships during October at 28, the highest since the war began, according to the news agency. The coincidence of the threats with rising shipping incidents underscores the importance of the Strait of Hormuz and energy transport routes in the region’s security calculations.

Even so, oil traffic through the strait has not stopped: The Associated Press reported that tankers continued to cross under US military protection. Some operators used a route close to the coast of Oman, alongside the transfer of oil between tankers, according to the news agency. In Saudi Arabia, Aramco chief Amin Nasser said oil flows through the East-West pipeline had risen to 7 million barrels per day, from 2 million barrels per day before the increase during the energy crisis. These figures show that the pipeline route absorbed larger flows during the crisis, while maritime transport through Hormuz continued under protection. Egypt had previously joined the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen in March 2015, primarily as a maritime partner, and sent ships to secure navigation in the Red Sea, according to Reuters.

The background to the confrontation in Yemen includes an escalation that had previously receded after a US-mediated truce in 2022 largely halted attacks, before they resumed, according to Reuters. The news agency said the Houthis had launched attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities as fighting intensified in recent weeks. On the track related to the Strait of Hormuz, The Associated Press reported that Iran offered to end the war and fully reopen the strait within a week if the United States accepted its terms, including ending the US blockade of Iranian ports. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric called for commercial ships not to be attacked and for diplomacy between Washington and Tehran to resume to reopen the strait and reduce tensions. The news agency warned that a return to full-scale fighting could put civilians at risk and complicate supplies of oil, natural gas and fertilizers from the region; the date of Egypt’s next vote on the mandate remains 26 October.