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Iran vows to target US-Israeli financial institutions in retaliation for Tehran bank strike

March 12, 2026

The spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Ebrahim Zolfaqari, warned on 11 March that economic centers and banks linked to the US and Israel across the region will be considered legitimate targets after an overnight strike hit a Bank Sepah in Tehran, killing several employees.

“With this illegitimate and uncommon action, the enemy is forcing our hand to target economic centers and banks linked to the US and Zionist regime in the region,” Zolfaqari said.

He added a direct warning to the US, stating, “The Americans should await our painful retaliatory action.”

BREAKING 🔴

The UK Maritime Trade Operations reports that 3 commercial vessels were targeted in the Strait of Hormuz over the past few hours.

Two vessels have been struck.

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 11, 2026

Iranian officials urged civilians in countries hosting US or Israeli banking institutions to “stay out of a one-kilometer radius of these facilities.”

BREAKING:

🇮🇷🇺🇸🇮🇱 The war just moved into the financial system:

Iran just told everyone in the region to stay 1 kilometer away from US and Israeli banks and financial centers.

This came after the US and Israel struck Iranian banks overnight. pic.twitter.com/ANsRGiSpTJ

— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) March 11, 2026

Iranian state media said the strike hit an administrative building linked to Bank Sepah, one of the country’s largest state-owned lenders with longstanding ties to the military establishment.

Several bank employees were reportedly killed by an Israeli strike that hit a bank in northern Tehran, where staff were working an extra shift preparing February’s month-end salary disbursements.

In the aftermath, Iranian authorities also suspended services at Bank Sepah and another major state lender, Bank Melli, freezing accounts and halting digital banking systems nationwide in what officials described as a precautionary measure to protect financial resources amid the ongoing war.

Israel has also continuously targeted financial institutions linked to Iran’s regional allies, striking a branch of Qard al-Hassan in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Qard al-Hassan is a Hezbollah-affiliated financial institution that provides interest-free loans and basic financial services to Lebanese residents, particularly after the collapse of Lebanon’s banking system in 2019.

Israel has repeatedly targeted the institution’s branches, including strikes on dozens of offices in 2024 – actions that amount to unlawful attacks on civilian financial institutions because affiliation alone does not constitute a legitimate military target.

The bank strike comes as part of the broader US-Israeli war on Iran that began on 28 February, with attacks targeting civilian areas and infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, sports facilities, heritage sites, and residential neighborhoods.

In less than two weeks of fighting, the US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic have killed more than 1,300 people, including at least 180 children, and injured over 10,000, while also targeting senior officials.

Iran, in retaliation for the attacks, launched strikes on the US-Israel military positions and assets throughout West Asia.

This has led to the de facto closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz, with governments across Asia scrambling to impose austerity measures, ration fuel, and activate emergency energy plans as oil markets brace for further disruptions and a deeper global supply shock.