Iran threatens to attack US companies in the region starting tomorrow

WashingtonAnother day of the war in which words contradict facts. The White House insisted yesterday that they are negotiating with the Iranians and that the talks are good, but on the ground the first troops specialized in land operations are ready and Iran is raising the tone. Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned this Tuesday that, starting tomorrow, it will attack American companies in the region, according to state media in the country. In total, Tehran speaks of 18 companies, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla, and Boeing, to which it warns that they "should expect the destruction of their facilities for every act of terrorism in Iran," in reference to the attacks by the United States and Israel.

Bombarding the facilities of American companies represents another escalation in the horizontal war that the regime applied from the very moment it was attacked by the United States and Israel. Engaged in a war of attrition, the Iranians have been extending the conflict in the region as much as possible: from attacking neighboring Gulf countries, to constricting the global economy by blocking the Strait of Hormuz and retaliating against Arab refineries. Many of them, like the one in Ras Laffan (Qatar), are key to the European and Asian gas market.

Beyond the arrival of the first marine unit to the region – the 81st division aboard the US amphibious ship Tripoli – this Tuesday the United States has begun to fly over Iranian territory with B-52 bombers for the first time since the start of the conflict. This was explained by the chief of staff of the joint chiefs, General Dan Caine, at the Pentagon's first press conference in almost two weeks since the last one on March 11. However, despite the presence of B-52 aircraft, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has acknowledged that Tehran still retains the capacity to counterattack.

General Caine has explained that US fighter jets are now concentrating on destroying the supply chains of Iranian facilities for manufacturing missiles, drones, and naval vessels. All with the aim of stifling the country's ability to replace its munitions destroyed in four weeks of US and Israeli bombings. Hours later, a White House official told Reuters that "the United States were and are prepared to curb any attack from Iran".

The Strait of Hormuz, key

Washington's ultimatum to launch attacks against Iranian power plants is still counting down, and nothing indicates that the spiral of violence will cool down. As the first month of war is completed, it seems that the White House finally has an objective with which to justify the military campaign: to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In other words: to undo the mess that Trump caused when he gave the green light to the joint attack with Israel on February 28. On Monday, the tycoon was once again threatening Tehran with the fact that if the maritime passage was not opened "immediately" they would attack its power plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island. Trump even proposed destroying water desalination plants, which are crucial for the survival of the civilian population. By doing so, the United States could be committing a war crime.

If on Monday he attacked Iran over Hormuz, on Tuesday he attacked its Western partners, and in particular, the United Kingdom. The US president stated on his social network that "all those countries that cannot get jet fuel because of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: number 1, buy from the United States, we have plenty."

The Republican, with an intimidating tone, insisted on a second suggestion that these countries must gather the courage they have been postponing to go to the strait and simply take it by force of arms. Once again, Trump asserted the power of his army, and Europe's dependence on NATO under the White House's control, to remind, especially the transatlantic partners, that they will have to start learning to fight for themselves. And he ended by saying: "The United States will no longer be there to help you, just as you have not been there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is already done. Go get your own oil!", he concluded.

Trump's umpteenth reproach against European allies comes from similar statements, on Monday, by his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. The Washington spokesperson stated that his country will have to “review” the relationship with NATO when the war with Iran is over, due to Spain's and other countries' refusal to allow it to use their bases. “In a time of need for the United States (...) we have countries like Spain, a NATO member that we are committed to defending, denying us the use of their airspace and boasting about denying us the use of their bases. And there are other countries that have also done this,” he said in an interview with Al-Jazeera.

The head of North American diplomacy said that one of the reasons why the Atlantic Alliance is “beneficial” for the United States is that it provides it with “basing areas for contingencies” such as stationing troops, planes, and weapons in Europe. “But if NATO means that we alone defend Europe while they deny us basing rights when we need them, then it is not a very good deal. All of this we will have to review,” he said.