Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issued what he described as a "final notice" to financial institutions that hold US Treasury bonds, warning they would be considered legitimate military targets alongside US bases, in a post on X on March 22.

"Alongside military bases, those financial entities that finance the US military budget are legitimate targets. US treasury bonds are soaked in Iranians' blood. Purchase them, and you purchase a strike on your HQ and assets. We monitor your portfolios. This is your final notice," Ghalibaf wrote in English.

The threat represents a significant escalation in Iran's rhetoric, extending the target set from military and energy infrastructure to the global financial system. US Treasury bonds are held by virtually every major financial institution, sovereign wealth fund and central bank in the world, meaning the warning could theoretically apply to thousands of entities across dozens of countries.

The statement came on the same day Ghalibaf warned that any US strike on Iranian power plants would trigger "irreversible" destruction of Gulf energy infrastructure, in response to Trump's 48-hour ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The IRGC has previously threatened to target US-linked banks and technology companies in the Gulf, prompting major Western financial institutions including Goldman Sachs, Citi, Standard Chartered, BlackRock and JPMorgan to evacuate staff from Dubai's International Financial Centre.

Iran has not previously struck financial targets. But the explicit public threat from the speaker of parliament, one of the most senior figures in the Islamic Republic's wartime leadership, will raise alarm among global banks and insurers already reassessing their exposure to the Middle East.