Iranian official: U.S. assets could be targets in a new war

Iranian official says U.S. assets could be targets amid Hormuz tensions

A senior Iranian security official said that U.S. political assets and the infrastructure of countries taking part in a war could be considered legitimate targets if a new war breaks out and Iranian officials and civilians are killed. The remarks came as tensions rose between Washington and Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz and the naval blockade.

Scraper SystemOctober 22, 2026, 08:56 PM

Iranian official says U.S. assets could be targets amid Hormuz tensions

As tensions continue around the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian security official said that U.S. political assets and the infrastructure of countries taking part in a new conflict could be targeted. The official said this would apply if Iranian officials were killed or civilians lost their lives.

The Iranian official said Tehran assumes it will be attacked again by the United States and Israel and does not trust Washington’s diplomatic efforts. According to the official, this view was further strengthened after Iran interpreted remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Athens as offering a historical and civilizational justification for Washington’s war against Iran.

Iran’s assessment of Washington and Israel

The official claimed that political and intellectual leaders in Iran increasingly believe that Israel directs U.S. policy in the Middle East. The official said this view is based on the belief that Israel prevented Washington from pursuing a diplomatic solution.

The Iranian official also claimed that Israel holds a priority position in U.S. President Donald Trump’s regional policies. The remarks highlighted the continued hard-line stance of the Iranian administration in its relations with Washington.

Hürmüz Boğazı'nın uydu görüntüsü (arşiv)

Naval blockade and military tensions

The Iranian official said the country currently considers itself to be at war with the United States. The official said the U.S. economic and naval blockade, along with restrictions on Iranian airspace, was being viewed as a continuation of the military attack that began on February 28.

The official said pressure from different sections of Iranian society had pushed the government to take a “decisive step” to break the blockade, and that Tehran considers this step to fall within its right to self-defense.

Iran has instructed various operational units in response to the possibility of a new large-scale conflict that could lead to the deaths of Iranian officials and civilians. Within this framework, U.S. political assets and the infrastructure of countries taking part in the war could be considered legitimate targets by Iran.

The remarks came as tensions between Washington and Tehran rose because of the U.S. naval blockade and restrictions on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. and Israeli military attacks on Iran on February 28 expanded the regional conflict, while disagreements over the blockade and security arrangements in the strategic waterway continued despite subsequent diplomatic efforts.

Iranian official says U.S. assets could be targets amid Hormuz tensions