US and Iran Engage in Energy Warfare Targeting Infrastructure

The United States and Iran are engaged in a conflict defined by energy warfare, where civilian energy infrastructure has become a primary military target. Since February, Iran has targeted gas fields, desalination plants, and oil refineries, while closing the Strait of Hormuz to control global energy flows. In response, the United States and Israel have launched strikes against Iranian electric grids and oil depots, including a bombing on Qeshm Island.

President Donald Trump recently threatened to destroy Iranian power plants and bridges in retaliation for attacks on oil tankers. Military analysts describe this shift as a fifth generation of warfare, noting that traditional norms against striking nonmilitary targets are being ignored to blur the line between military and economic conflict.

This strategy mirrors broader global trends in other regions. The Federal Government of Russia has launched over a thousand missile strikes against Ukrainian power plants and substations, while the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has utilized drones to strike Russian fuel supply chains and oil refineries. Similar patterns of infrastructure targeting have been observed in conflicts across Sudan, Yemen, and Gaza.