Iran's Revolutionary Guards Decide: These Are the Targets We Will Strike If the US Goes for Oil Fields
The war is expanding: Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen are attacking targets and energy routes, raising fears of disruption to global trade and rising oil prices. The US and Saudi Arabia struck militia bases in eastern Iraq, and the Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi ships. The escalation demonstrates the ability of the proxies to destabilize the region, with an economic threat to tankers and ports.
The war is expanding: Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen are attacking targets and energy routes, raising fears of disruption to global trade and rising oil prices. According to the New York Times and news agencies, the activation of Tehran's regional proxies marks a new phase in the conflict, in which Iran tries to increase the economic and military cost of the war by targeting oil exports and shipping traffic. In recent days, the United States and Saudi Arabia struck bases of Iran-backed militias in eastern Iraq, after Washington and Riyadh attributed drone launches at Saudi oil facilities to those groups. The umbrella organization of the militias, called the 'Islamic Resistance in Iraq', includes about ten armed factions and about fifty thousand fighters. Meanwhile, the Houthis in Yemen declared a naval blockade against ships linked to Saudi Arabia in the Bab el-Mandeb area, and according to reports, eight Saudi ships were forced to change course and circumnavigate Africa. The escalation demonstrates that even after suffering heavy losses, the Iranian proxies are still capable of destabilizing the region, and the main threat is economic: prolonged damage to tankers, ports, and oil facilities could raise energy prices and turn the war into a prolonged regional campaign.