Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad made a visit to an oil facility on Kharg Island on Sunday, amidst escalating worries about potential Israeli air strikes aimed at such critical sites. This visit took place shortly after an Israeli official stated that the country was "preparing a response" following Iran's recent missile attack on Israel, its long-time adversary. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran declared that the 200 missiles launched were in retaliation for the deaths of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian general Abbas Nilforoushan, who were killed in a September 27 attack on Beirut.
Paknejad arrived at the Kharg Island oil facilities in the morning and held a meeting with the employees, as reported by his ministry's news agency, SHANA. "We are not intimidated by our enemies' threats of crisis, and visiting this region is simply part of our routine business," Paknejad stated on state television. Kharg Island, situated in the Gulf, serves as Iran's primary crude oil export terminal. Paknejad's visit occurred in the wake of Israel's declaration that it was gearing up to respond to Iran's missile assault on its territory on Tuesday.
On Thursday, US President Joe Biden disclosed that he was "in discussions" with Israel regarding potential strikes on oil facilities in Iran. This announcement led to a surge in oil prices. However, on Friday, Biden cautioned Israel against targeting Iran's oil facilities, urging it to seek "other alternatives". In response to the Israeli threats, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday issued a warning, stating that Iran would retaliate with "a proportional and similar reaction, and even stronger" if Israel were to strike Iran.
