Iranian mourners take part in a funeral procession in Tehran, Iran, 18 March 2026. Thousands gathered in Enghelab Square to honor Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Major General Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary forces; both were killed in airstrikes on 17 March. The funeral also served as a memorial for the dozens of Iranian sailors killed aboard the Iranian destroyer IRIS Dena, which was sunk by US forces in the Indian Ocean earlier this month. A joint US-Israeli military operation continues to target multiple locations across Iran since 28 February 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH After its energy facilities in South Pars gas field and Asaluyeh were targeted on Wednesday, Iran retaliated against what it said were U.S.-linked energy sites in Gulf countries, including Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar, the world’s largest LNG complex.
"In the calls to foreign counterparts, Araqchi assessed the U.S. and Zionist regime's (Israel) attack on Iranian infrastructure as an act aimed at escalating tensions and destabilising the region, and urged for vigilance and coordination among regional countries in response to these threats," state media reported on Thursday.
A spokesman for the unified command of Iran's armed forces said recent strikes on the country's energy infrastructure led to "a new stage in the war" in which Iran targeted energy facilities linked to the U.S. and American investors in the region.
"If strikes (on Iran's energy infrastructure) happen again, further attacks on your energy infrastructure and that of your allies will not stop until it is completely destroyed, and our response will be much more severe," Ebrahim Zolfaqari said according to state media.
(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Alison Williams, Alexandra Hudson)