Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it attacked U.S. steel and aluminum plants in the Middle East.
According to Iran's Tasnim News Agency on Friday, the IRGC said in a statement that "the 90th operation of Phase 4 of Operation True Promise has been carried out, striking American steel and aluminum companies in the region." However, the locations of the U.S. steel and aluminum facilities in the Middle East and the extent of damage remain unknown. The "U.S. steel and aluminum company facilities" Iran referenced are believed to be sites where American capital and technology are concentrated, such as Ras Al Khair, a joint venture facility in Saudi Arabia, or large-scale smelting facilities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain.
Meanwhile, steelworks inside Iran that were hit by massive U.S. and Israeli airstrikes have reportedly halted operations entirely. Khuzestan Steel and Mobarakeh Steel, Iran's two largest steel companies, said they suspended production following multiple rounds of U.S.-Israeli airstrikes. Mehran Pakbin, deputy director of operations at Khuzestan Steel, told state-run media Mizan that "restarting the damaged facilities is expected to take six months to up to one year." Mobarakeh Steel, located in Isfahan province in central Iran, also said "production facilities have been shut down due to massive bombardment." The U.S. and Israel bombed the two steelworks on May 27.
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