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Skip to main contentSkip to navigationClose dialogue1/1Next imagePrevious imageToggle captionSkip to navigationPrint subscriptionsNewsletters Sign inUSUS editionUK editionAustralia editionEurope editionInternational editionThe Guardian - Back to homeThe GuardianNewsOpinionSportCultureLifestyleShow moreHide expanded menuNewsView all NewsUS newsUS politicsWorld newsClimate crisisMiddle EastUkraineSoccerBusinessEnvironmentTechScienceNewslettersWellnessOpinionView all OpinionThe Guardian viewColumnistsLettersOpinion videosCartoonsSportView all SportSoccerNFLTennisMLBMLSNBAWNBANHLF1GolfCultureView all CultureFilmBooksMusicArt & designTV & radioStageClassicalGamesLifestyleView all LifestyleWellnessFashionFoodRecipesLove & sexHome & gardenHealth & fitnessFamilyTravelMoneySearch input google-search SearchSupport usPrint subscriptionsNewslettersDownload the appSearch jobsDigital ArchiveGuardian LicensingAbout UsThe Guardian appVideoPodcastsPicturesInside the GuardianGuardian WeeklyCrosswordsWordiplyCorrectionsSearch input google-search SearchSearch jobsDigital ArchiveGuardian LicensingAbout UsUSUS politicsWorldClimate crisisMiddle EastUkraineSoccerBusinessEnvironmentTechScienceNewslettersWellness Joe Biden talks to the press outside the White House on 3 October. Photograph: Kent Nishimura/GettyView image in fullscreenJoe Biden talks to the press outside the White House on 3 October. Photograph: Kent Nishimura/GettyIsrael This article is more than 4 months oldBiden says US ‘discussing’ possible Israeli plans to attack Iran’s oil industryThis article is more than 4 months oldPresident’s off-the-cuff remark outside White House over possible retaliation triggers global oil price riseJulian Borger and Patrick WintourThu 3 Oct 2024 14.46 EDTFirst published on Thu 3 Oct 2024 14.28 EDTShareJoe Biden has said that his administration has been “discussing” possible Israeli plans to attack Iran’s oil industry in retaliation for the Iranian ballistic missile attack on Tuesday.Biden’s off-the-cuff remark did not make clear whether his administration was holding internal discussions or talking directly to Israel, nor did he clarify what his attitude was to such an attack.“First of all, we don’t ‘allow’ Israel, we advise Israel,” he told reporters outside the White House on Thursday. “And there is nothing going to happen today.”What are the risks involved in Israeli options for retaliatory strikes on Iran?Read moreNonetheless, at a time of high tension across the Middle East, the comment triggered a spike in global oil prices, with potentially damaging effects on his vice-president Kamala Harris’s campaign for the presidential election just over a month away.US and Israeli officials have been talking about an appropriate Israeli response to an Iranian salvo of 181 ballistic missiles on Tuesday, most of which were intercepted though some landed on or around military bases. Satellite imagery published by the Associated Press on Thursday showed damage from four distinct impacts to buildings at Israel’s Nevatim airbase, one of the targets of the Iranian attack.That attack was in turn a response to the Israeli killing of the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in an airstrike on Beirut on Friday, as what had started as a war in Gaza a year ago ignited in recent days into a major regional conflict.Biden has said that the US and its western allies in the G7 agree that Israel has a right to respond “proportionally”, and voiced his opposition to any strike against Iran’s nuclear programme.1:04US does not back an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, says Joe Biden – videoAsked by a reporter on Thursday about the possibility of an Israeli strike against Iranian oil facilities, Biden replied: “We’re discussing that. I think that would be a little … anyway” – breaking off mid-sentence. A few minutes later, the oil price hit its highest level in a month, with Brent crude jumping as much as 5% to a high of $77.65 (£59.19) a barrel.Any enduring price hike that raised the cost of petrol at pumps in the US – a near-certain outcome in the event of an actual Israel attack on the Iranian oil industry – would hurt Harris in an extremely close presidential race with Donald Trump.Iran has informed Washington that a large-scale Israeli strike will lead in turn to Iranian attacks on Israeli infrastructure. Tehran also warned any other country assisting an Israeli attack would also make itself an Iranian target.In a statement issued by Iran’s mission at the UN in New York, Iran said: “Should any country render assistance to the aggressor, it shall likewise be deemed an accomplice and a legitimate target.”The warnings came as the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, sought assurances from Gulf leaders at a summit in Doha that they would remain neutral in the event of any joint Israeli-US attack in Iran.The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, said: “We intend to close the book on disagreements with Iran forever and develop relations between us like two friends.”skip past newsletter promotionSign up to First ThingFree daily newsletterOur US morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersEnter your email address Sign upPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionHis remarks underlined recent Saudi assurances that there will be no normalisation agreement between Riyadh and Israel without Israel’s agreement to the establishment of a Palestinian state.Any Israeli attack on Iranian oil facilities would raise global oil prices, potentially benefiting Gulf producers, but it could also affect their ability to export oil if the Israeli-Iran conflict led to the Persian Gulf being blocked.The Middle East is on the brink of all-out war – so why is the EU still navel-gazing? | Nathalie TocciRead moreIn a joint press conference with Pezeshkian, the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, said the crisis in the Middle East was a “collective genocide” and that his country had always warned of Israel’s “impunity”.“It has become crystal clear that what is happening is genocide, in addition to turning the Gaza Strip into an area unfit for human habitation, in preparation for displacement,” he said during the Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit in Doha. The Qatari emir also affirmed his country’s “full support” for Lebanon against the “brutal attacks they are being subjected to”.Posting to X on Thursday, he said the failure of the international community to stop the war on Gaza had been a green light to expand the conflict.An Israeli airstrike in the early hours of Thursday morning, killed nine people when it hit a medical centre belonging to the Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Organisation, in the second bombing of central Beirut so far this week.Israeli military said it had killed the Hezbollah commander, Khader Shahabiya, who was deemed responsible for the bombing in July that killed 12 children and teenagers playing on a football pitch in the Golan Heights. Dozens more were wounded in the same rocket attack.Explore more on these topicsIsraelJoe BidenIranMiddle East and north AfricaOilOil and gas companiesLebanonnewsShareReuse this contentMore on this storyMore on this storyTrump’s Gaza plan suggests his pro-settler advisers are in the ascendant7 Feb 2025Israeli security forces launch operation in West Bank city of Jenin21 Jan 2025Australia splits with US to back UN resolution demanding end to Israel occupation of Palestinian territories4 Dec 2024Middle East crisis: Israel names three hostages set to be released on Thursday – as it happened29 Jan 2025Trump invites Netanyahu to be first foreign leader to visit White House29 Jan 2025Israel braces for another Iranian attack after threats from leaders in Tehran4 Nov 2024Donald Trump’s toxic remarks on Gaza reveal lack of joined-up thinking5 Feb 2025The Lebanon ceasefire alone won’t bring regional peace. The Gaza war must end3 Dec 2024Sri Lanka’s Arugam Bay in shock after terror threat to Israeli tourists29 Oct 2024Netanyahu’s sacking of Gallant likely to precede a shake-up of Israel-US relations5 Nov 2024Most viewedMost viewedUSUS politicsWorldClimate crisisMiddle EastUkraineSoccerBusinessEnvironmentTechScienceNewslettersWellnessNewsOpinionSportCultureLifestyleOriginal reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morningSign up for our emailAbout usHelpComplaints & correctionsSecureDropWork for us Privacy policyCookie policyTerms & conditionsContact usAll topicsAll writersDigital newspaper archiveTax strategyFacebookYouTubeInstagramLinkedInNewslettersAdvertise with usGuardian LabsSearch jobsBack to top© 2025 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (dcr)


Then the Strait of Hormuz closes. Harris loses the election as energy prices double overnight. Trump is elected and exports MAGA. 

Biden will be vilified in the history books and Harris will only be a footnote.