CAIRO/TEHRAN: President Donald Trump warned the US will “obliterate” Iranian power plants if Iran doesn’t fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours — a threat Iran’s military swiftly met with counter-threats to target American energy, IT, and desalination infrastructure across the region.
The exchange marked a dangerous new escalation as the Middle East war entered its fourth week.
Trump issued the ultimatum in a social media post from his Florida home, where he spent the weekend facing mounting domestic pressure as oil prices soar. He said the US would destroy “various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!” if Iran failed to reopen the vital waterway, which was effectively closed in response to the ongoing conflict.
Iran’s military operational command, Khatam Al-Anbiya, fired back on Sunday. “Following previous warnings, if Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure is violated by the enemy, all energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the regime in the region will be targeted,” it said in a statement carried by Fars news agency.
The war of words came as Iranian missiles struck two communities in southern Israel late Saturday, leaving buildings shattered and dozens injured in dual attacks not far from Israel’s main nuclear research center — further signaling the conflict is moving in a perilous new direction.
