Trump threatens to destroy Iran’s energy sites after Dubai tanker attack

WEB DESK: On Monday, the fully loaded vessel Al-Salmi was targeted and set ablaze in the latest escalation of hostilities within the world’s most vital maritime chokepoint. While emergency crews battled the inferno, Washington issued its most severe warning to date.

President Donald Trump, speaking from the White House, declared that the United States is prepared to “obliterate” Iran’s domestic energy infrastructure and oil wells should Tehran continue its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters.

This flare-up follows a pattern of retaliatory drone and missile strikes on merchant shipping that has plagued the Gulf since the joint US-Israeli military action against Iran on 28 February.

Global energy markets on edge as conflict widens

The assault on the Al-Salmi marks a significant shift in the scale of the maritime conflict, transitioning from harassment to the potential destruction of high-capacity energy carriers.

Maritime security experts suggest the strike involved a sophisticated mix of aerial drones and sea-based explosives, a signature of the regional “shadow war” that has now burst into the open.

With the Strait of Hormuz the transit point for a fifth of the world’s oil effectively under threat, Brent crude prices are expected to see significant volatility.

Analysts warn that if President Trump follows through on threats to dismantle Iran’s oil plants, the resulting environmental and economic fallout could reshape the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East for a generation.