Israel's airstrike on at least 5 energy facilities in Tehran on March 7-8 caused black smoke to cover the sky of Iran's capital, raising concerns about a global economic crisis.
Iran's national oil distributor confirmed that at least 4 employees were killed in this attack. The direct bombing of energy infrastructure is considered the most dangerous escalation since the conflict broke out.
Immediately after the loss, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sent a strong warning message to the international community. "If you can tolerate oil prices of more than 200 USD/barrel, continue this game," the IRGC spokesman declared.
Tehran accuses the US-Israel alliance of deliberately targeting civilian fuel facilities and demands that Gulf countries intervene to stop Israel, otherwise they themselves will become the next target of attack.
Iran's threat quickly turned into action when a wave of drone attacks hit a series of neighboring countries on March 8.
In Saudi Arabia, despite intercepting 15 aircraft, an object still crashed into a residential area in Al-Kharj, killing 2 people and injuring 12 others. Meanwhile, Bahrain reported serious damage to a seawater desalination plant. UAE, Qatar and Kuwait also simultaneously recorded explosions at many strategic infrastructures.
The US military confirmed another soldier dead after an Iranian attack on a garrison in Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number of US soldiers killed in this conflict to 7 people.
Despite the US efforts to reassure the market by committing not to attack Iran's energy infrastructure, world oil prices continue to fluctuate sharply due to concerns about a full-scale conflict in the world's "oil hub".
Meanwhile, Israel continues to expand its operations on many fronts, targeting senior commanders of the Quds forces in Lebanon.
Analysts believe that Iran's direct attack on the oil infrastructure of neighboring countries is a risky step to attract major powers to join in. If the deadlock is not resolved, the energy market may fall into a state of chaos beyond the control of existing international stabilization mechanisms.
