Iran's Energy Minister Plays Down Possibility of Strike

Iran's Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi expressed confidence in the resilience of his country's energy infrastructure, stating that it is less susceptible to attacks compared to other regional nations, in a state TV interview aired on Tuesday.

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Aliabadi attributed this relative security to the decentralized nature of Iran's electricity production, which is dispersed across numerous locations, unlike the more centralized and vulnerable systems found in neighboring Persian Gulf countries and Israel.

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The energy minister highlighted that Iran boasts over 150 power plants nationwide, underscoring the country's diversified energy production capabilities as the Middle East conflict entered its fourth week.

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Aliabadi's comments came in response to US President Donald Trump's recent threat to target Iran's energy infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane that handles a fifth of global crude oil transit, is not reopened.

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Trump's warning was followed by a surprise announcement on Monday, in which he claimed that the US had engaged in productive talks to bring an end to the war, although Iran has denied that any such dialogue took place.