Iran's 'Plethora of Options' to Disrupt Global Energy Markets, Warns Former Pentagon Advisor

A former senior Pentagon advisor is warning that Iran possesses a 'plethora of options to cause mayhem' in global energy markets, signaling a direct threat to oil and gas stability. Bilal Saab, now Senior Managing Director at TRENDS US and an associate fellow at Chatham House, draws on his defense background to highlight the significant asymmetric capabilities Tehran could deploy, raising the risk of supply shocks and price volatility far beyond the Middle East.

Saab's analysis follows President Donald Trump's primetime address on Iran, which he suggests frames the current strategic calculus. The warning underscores that Iran's potential responses are not limited to conventional military confrontation but extend to covert operations, cyber attacks on critical infrastructure, and harassment of commercial shipping in vital chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz. These are tools designed to exert maximum pressure with plausible deniability.

The implication is a persistent, high-stakes pressure on global energy security. Any escalation could immediately impact shipping lanes, refinery operations, and insurance costs, placing oil-dependent economies and major energy firms under intense scrutiny. This creates a volatile backdrop where geopolitical miscalculation carries a direct and severe economic cost, keeping markets and security officials on high alert.