Iran planning to retaliate against a possible US attack? There is a list of potential targets

In recent days, President Donald Trump has again intensified his rhetoric towards Iran. On Thursday, he announced that "the world will find out very quickly" whether the US will decide to reach an agreement with Iran or "destroy what is left" of that country. At the same time, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth declared that the United States would continue the war against the Islamic Republic.

These words caused a wave of anxiety in Tehran. According to the New York think tank Soufan Center, Iran's conservative establishment is preparing for possible attacks on American assets and politicians. According to analysts, the Iranian authorities do not rule out even striking American diplomats.

"We are preparing for the worst"

Despite temporary satisfaction with the Democrats' victory in the US Congressional elections, the atmosphere in Iran is far from optimistic. The Guardian's interlocutors admit directly: "We are preparing for the worst." Experts emphasize that the Iranian regime has drawn one main conclusion from previous experience - the only guarantee of security is the adoption of the "North Korean model", i.e. the development of its own nuclear potential.

According to the Soufan Center, the war with Iran has led to the destruction of the "fundamental security architecture" in the Middle East. Restoring stability in the region seems unlikely today, even if a peace agreement is reached. In this situation, the Iranian establishment, especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is intensifying work on the development of nuclear weapons, missile programs and drones, as well as strengthening ground forces.

Retaliatory plans and list of potential targets

US intelligence reports that Iranian leaders are developing a program of aggressive retaliation and asymmetric attacks that could target not only US diplomats but also other targets around the world. The impetus for such preparations was President Trump's repeated threats and fears that a sudden attack from the US may occur before the new Congress is sworn in.

Tehran's plans include attacks on the assets of the United States and its allies in the region. As the Soufan Center emphasizes, "Iranian hard-line leaders insist on a strategy in which Tehran would leave (America) in no doubt about the intensity and scale of its response and choice of targets (...) if Trump attacks again after the midterm elections."

High-ranking representatives of the Iranian authorities, including the elite of the Revolutionary Guards, do not rule out attacks on military and civilian targets - both American and Arab - throughout the region. Iranian media even published a list of potential targets, which included bridges, railway junctions, airports in the Persian Gulf countries, as well as underwater cables, petrochemical companies, power plants, water desalination plants, AI technology companies, hotels and shopping malls.

In October, two Tehran representatives admitted in an interview with the New York Times that the target of the attack could be American diplomats and other government employees. US National Intelligence Director Jay Clayton warned that Tehran has entered the "advanced phase" of planning attacks abroad, including on US soil.