The Trump administration is urging energy companies to beef up security at their drilling sites, pipelines and fuel manufacturing plants in case of retaliatory attacks stemming from the U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran, three people familiar with the warning said Tuesday.
There are no indications of an imminent strike, but as the war in the Middle East spreads, the administration is issuing an alert about possible attacks against U.S. energy infrastructure, officials warned industry executives.
“Recent coordinated strikes against Iran and retaliatory missile attacks targeting U.S. and Israeli interests have increased the potential for threats to the homeland, including cyberattacks, acts of violence, and hate crimes,” read an advisory the Transportation Security Administration sent Saturday and obtained by POLITICO.
The advisory came after the U.S. and Israel strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader and sparked off Iranian retaliation against oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, a natural gas export plant in Qatar and a fuel refinery in Saudi Arabia. The TSA is the part of the Department of Homeland Security that oversees security for airports, pipelines and trains.
