Iran Threatens Retaliation Against US Attacks on Infrastructure

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that any attack on his country’s infrastructure will be met with a ‘strong and firm’ response. In a statement posted on X on Wednesday (23/7/2026), Araghchi stressed that Iran’s defence doctrine is based on the principle of ‘tit-for-tat’. ‘Any aggression against Iran, including against our infrastructure, will force us to respond strongly,’ he asserted, adding that nations supporting US aggression would be considered legitimate targets for the Iranian military.

Tensions escalated after US President Donald Trump threatened to strike vital Iranian facilities, such as bridges and power plants, if Iran disrupts commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump specifically identified the Pickaxe Mountain area near the Natanz nuclear facility as a potential target. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf also warned that regional stability hinges on the absence of US forces, stating that no country in the region would be able to sell oil if Iran were prevented from doing so, reflecting the intensifying navigational dispute in the strategic waterway.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei accused the US of using the nuclear programme issue as a pretext for sabotage. Baghaei insisted that all of Iran’s nuclear activities are reported to the IAEA and that US threats violate international law and the UN Charter. Physical conflict has already erupted over the past week through a series of tit-for-tat strikes between the US military and Iranian military facilities in the region, despite both countries having signed a peace framework mediated by Pakistan in June. The Iranian populace is reportedly united in the face of potential sovereignty violations, and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is predicted not to return to normal as long as the US military presence dominates the area.