Iran threatens 'zero red lines' strikes on Gulf oil and data sites if US and Israel attack

Iran will strike oil facilities, undersea cables, data centers and artificial intelligence facilities across as many as seven Gulf countries if the United States and Israel attack it again, Mohsen Rezaei said. Rezaei is secretary of Iran's supreme national security council. The Guardian reported the threat on Thursday. ¹

Mehdi Mohammadi, an adviser to Iranian hardliner Mohammad Ghalibaf, said President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed in principle on an attack. Ghalibaf led Iran's talks with the U.S. to end the conflict. ¹

We see the next conflict as an existential threat. The third war in two years means a threat to existence. Our strategy is ‘zero red lines’.

A threat aimed at tech as well as oil

Iranian media quoted Rezaei as saying that in a new war, "cables, datacentres and artificial intelligence facilities could also be targeted." ¹ This is not entirely new. Al Jazeera reported on Oct. 13 that Rezaei had warned of attacks on cables, data centers and AI facilities if war resumes. ²

Al Jazeera also reported that in March, Amazon Web Services said two of its United Arab Emirates facilities were "directly struck" by drones, and a nearby strike in Bahrain caused physical damage. ² The new threat adds oil sites to that list. ¹

What is happening on the ground

According to recent U.S. media reports, military advisers have drawn up a detailed list of targets for a joint U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran to be carried out after the Nov. 3 midterm elections. ¹ The Guardian also reported that Trump intends to have three aircraft carriers, thousands of Marines, fighter jets and special operations forces in the Middle East by November. ¹

The Guardian said Trump has backed away from striking Iran seven times in the past four months. But a deadlock in diplomacy has led U.S. officials to brief about a possible new campaign against missile sites, oil installations and nuclear sites. ¹

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps claimed on Wednesday to have struck four commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and said three more hit mines. The Guardian said there was no independent verification of those numbers. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, traded at $113.4 a barrel, a recent high. ¹

Diplomacy and what comes next

Foreign ministers from three European countries, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt meet in Istanbul on Friday on the Iranian, Yemeni and Palestinian crises. ¹ Mediators from Iran and Pakistan have again explored a ceasefire. One idea would give Iran billions in frozen assets in return for lifting its blockade of the strait. ¹

Analysis: The timing matters for voters. The Pentagon is reportedly preparing a major new attack for just after Election Day, while oil prices are already above $113 a barrel. Americans on fixed incomes feel those costs at the pump and in heating bills. Congress, which Republicans control, has not been reported to have debated whether to authorize a new war. That last point is an observation, not a finding from the wire copy.

The Record

1. Oct 13, 2026Al Jazeera reports Rezaei's warning that cables, data centers and AI facilities could be attacked if war resumes. ²
2. Oct 21, 2026Iran's Revolutionary Guards claim strikes on seven ships in the Strait of Hormuz; the claims are unverified. ¹
3. Oct 22, 2026Iranian officials threaten 'zero red lines' strikes across as many as seven Gulf countries; Brent crude trades at $113.4. ¹

Sources

1. The Guardian, “Iran threatens oil and AI facilities across seven Gulf countries if US and Israel renew attacks” (2026-10-22). theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/22/iran-threatens-seven-gulf-
2. Al Jazeera, “Iran threatens Gulf data centres: How exposed is the region's internet?” (2026-10-13). aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/13/iran-threatens-gulf-data-centr

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