Iran Claims to Have Developed a Target List for Retaliation Against the U.S. and Its Allies

On April 23, local time, Iranian sources reported that in the context of diplomatic setbacks and a lack of trust in negotiations, Iran has established a target list to respond to potential military actions by the U.S. and its allies, based on the principles of ‘reciprocal response’ and ‘offensive deterrence.’ It is reported that this list includes various response plans for different scenarios. For example, if Iranian power plants are attacked, Iran will retaliate by targeting power plants in Israel and other U.S. allies in the region with missiles and drones; if Iranian oil and gas facilities are attacked, Iran will strike key oil and gas facilities of Israel and U.S. allies, aiming to reduce global oil production by 25 million barrels per day within a year; if Iranian military and political officials are assassinated, Iran will target the information technology and artificial intelligence centers of the relevant countries. If Iran’s territorial sovereignty is violated (such as the occupation of islands or ports), Iran will launch a large-scale joint attack with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones against the aircraft carriers and attack helicopters of the relevant countries; if the maritime blockade against Iran continues or escalates, Iran will blockade the Strait of Mandeb and, if necessary, will completely blockade the Strait of Hormuz through large-scale mine-laying, cutting off all oil export pipelines; if U.S. forces launch a ground invasion of Iran from bases in the region, Iran will conduct coordinated ground operations with local armed forces from the host countries and rely on local populations to capture U.S. soldiers. Additionally, Iran may carry out raid operations against U.S. interests outside the region.