Iran has threatened to attack U.S. bases in the Middle East if the U.S. strikes its nuclear facilities.

“The U.S. may initiate a devilish act, but continuing and ending that event would certainly be out of its control,” Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr said Saturday. “All U.S. bases in the region” are “within the range” of Iran’s weapons, he added.

Qatar, Bahrain and Oman all host U.S. military bases that Iran could target.

“The objective will be to stun the American missile defense system using dozens if not hundreds of missiles that will be launched simultaneously at certain targets,” said Adm. Ali Shamkhani, Iran’s former defense minister, to Defense News on Monday.

Shamkhani directed his comments primarily to U.S. allies in the region and added that oil refineries and power stations would be targeted in addition to U.S. bases.

Iran’s threats aren’t just limited to the region. Zolghadr also warned that oil prices would rise to $250 a barrel “if security in the region, the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf is disturbed” (Bloomberg, June 11). Previously, Iran has specifically threatened to jeopardize oil shipments passing through the choke point if the country were attacked.

Almost a quarter of the word’s oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which borders Iran, the second-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (opec).

These comments from senior Iranian officials come at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and the West over Iran’s nuclear program.

A meeting between a senior Iranian envoy and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (iaea) was cancelled Monday because of Iran’s refusal to provide answers about past atomic activities as promised.

UN experts believe that Iran has 2,000 uranium enrichment centrifuges online and is on pace for 3,000 by July. The centrifuges would provide Iran with the necessary hardware to possibly yield enough enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb within a year.

Mohamed El Baradei, the iaea director general, warned that the “current stalemate and brewing confrontation” could lead to a U.S.-Iranian war.

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