Iran vows to target region’s water and energy infrastructure if US strikes power plants

US President Donald Trump demanded on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened within 48 hours

Iran warned it would target energy and water infrastructure across the Middle East following US President Donald Trump’s Saturday threat to strike Iran’s power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz is fully reopened within 48 hours.

Iran has kept the vital shipping route closed to most vessels since February 28, when the US and Israel launched the first wave of strikes against the country.

Although the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck several tankers attempting to cross the strait, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday blamed insurers for the disruption to navigation.

The war entered its fourth week on Monday, with neither side showing signs of de-escalation and global energy prices continuing to surge. Trump ruled out a ceasefire over the weekend, arguing that the US was close to significantly reducing Iran’s missile and nuclear capabilities. Tehran, however, remained defiant, vowing to continue the fight.

Israel said on Sunday that it would expand ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where the IDF had destroyed several bridges across the strategic Litani River.

At least 1,444 people have been killed and 18,551 injured in US-Israeli attacks on Iran since February 28, Iran’s Health Ministry said.

READ MORE: America’s war with Iran could destroy NATO from within

Iran’s retaliatory strikes killed 15 people in Israel and seven US service members at bases in the region. A further six US service members were killed in a crash involving a refueling aircraft.

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Here are the latest developments:

• US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike power plants in Iran unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened within 48 hours.

• Iran has kept the crucial waterway largely closed to vessels linked to the US and Israel since the outbreak of the war on February 28. The Hormuz disruption – affecting a route carrying roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies – has already pushed crude prices higher and heightened concerns over a prolonged global supply shock.

• The IRGC has released a statement, saying that should the power plants be targeted, the Strait of Hormuz will be “completely” closed and won’t be reopened until the facilities are rebuilt.

• Saudi Arabia has declared several Iranian embassy staff, including the military attaché, as persona non grata, ordering them to leave the country within 24 hours due to Tehran’s ongoing attacks on the Gulf region.

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