Iran warned Wednesday that it may target economic and banking interests tied to the United States and Israel across the region after one of its major banks was struck in Tehran overnight.
An administrative building linked to Bank Sepah, one of Iran’s largest state-owned financial institutions with historical ties to the country’s military, was hit during the attack, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency. The strike comes during a period of intensifying hostilities between Iran and Israel, with regional tensions escalating sharply in recent days.
Iranian military officials framed the strike as an act that could broaden the scope of the conflict beyond military targets. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, a spokesperson for Tehran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters, accused the United States and Israel of carrying out the attack on the bank.
“Following their failed campaign, the terrorist U.S. army and cruel Zionist regime (Israel) have targeted one of the country’s banks,” state media quoted Zolfaqari as saying.
The spokesperson warned that Iran may retaliate by striking financial and economic infrastructure connected to the United States and Israel across the region.
“With this illegitimate and uncommon action, the enemy is forcing our hand to target economic centres and banks linked to the U.S. and Zionist regime in the region,” Zolfaqari said.
Officials also issued a public warning to civilians near potential targets. Zolfaqari urged residents throughout the region to stay at least 1,000 metres away from banks, suggesting that financial institutions could become targets if the confrontation escalates further.
The latest development highlights the growing risk that financial infrastructure could become a new front in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.
