Tehran’s Response to US Threat Raises Risk of Escalation
Tehran has declared it will "irreversibly destroy" critical infrastructure across the Middle East, including essential water systems, should the US proceed with President Donald Trump’s threat to "obliterate" Iran’s power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz is fully reopened within two days.
As Iranian missile strikes have injured dozens and Tehran deployed long-range missiles for the first time, these developments indicate a potentially dangerous escalation in the conflict, now entering its fourth week, with both sides threatening facilities vital to millions of people.
The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, stated on Sunday that key infrastructure in the region—including energy and desalination facilities—would be deemed legitimate targets and "irreversibly destroyed" if Iran’s own infrastructure were attacked.
Experts have warned there is a significant risk that attacks on systems providing essential services such as electricity, heating, and running water could violate international law and "in some cases could amount to war crimes" due to the potential for "vast, predictable, and devastating civilian harm."
The Iranian military’s operational command headquarters, Khatam al-Anbiya, announced that Iran would target "all energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure" belonging to the US and Israel in the region.
The statement further declared that if Trump’s threat is executed, the Strait of Hormuz would be "completely closed, and will not be reopened until our destroyed power plants are rebuilt."
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, remarked that "threats and terror" are "only strengthening Iranian unity," and described the "illusion of erasing Iran from the map" as "desperation against the will of a history-making nation."
US Sets 48-Hour Deadline to Reopen Strait of Hormuz
President Trump announced on Saturday that Iran has 48 hours—until shortly before midnight GMT on Monday—to open the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global oil shipments, or face US strikes aimed at "obliterating" Iranian power plants, beginning with the largest.
US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, defended Trump’s threat on Sunday, asserting that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) controls much of the country’s infrastructure and uses it to support its war efforts.
Waltz stated that Trump plans to start by destroying one of Iran’s largest power plants but did not specify which. "There are gas-fired thermal power plants and other types of plants," he said, adding, "the president is not messing around."
Iran’s representative to the International Maritime Organisation, Ali Mousavi, said on Sunday that the Strait remains open to all shipping except vessels linked to "Iran’s enemies," with passage possible through coordination of security arrangements with Tehran.
Impact on Global Oil Supplies and Regional Conflict
Iranian attacks have effectively disrupted the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, triggering the world’s worst oil crisis since the 1970s and causing European gas prices to surge by as much as 35% last week.
Only a small fraction of vessels, estimated at about 5% of pre-war volume, from countries Tehran considers friendly—including China, India, and Pakistan—have been permitted passage.
Since 28 February, over 2,000 people have died in Iran amid US and Israeli attacks, with Tehran retaliating by striking targets in Israel and Gulf states. Lebanon has also been drawn into the conflict after Iran-backed groups attacked Israel.
Missile Strikes in Israel and Retaliation
Air-raid sirens sounded across Israel from early Sunday morning, warning of incoming missiles from Iran after two separate attacks overnight injured scores in the southern towns of Arad and Dimona.
The Israeli army announced on Sunday morning plans to strike Tehran in retaliation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting Arad, declared that senior IRGC commanders would be pursued.
“We’re going after the regime. We’re going after the IRGC, this criminal gang,” he said. “We’re going after them personally, their leaders, their installations, their economic assets.”
Israel’s military reported it was unable to intercept the missiles that struck Dimona and Arad, the nearest large towns to the country’s nuclear center in the Negev desert, which is widely believed to house the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal.
Israel has never officially acknowledged possessing nuclear weapons, maintaining that the site is for research purposes. These strikes marked the first time Iranian missiles penetrated Israel’s air defense systems in this area.
The attacks wounded approximately 200 people, including a 12-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl, both in serious condition. Early reports from Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 suggested possible fatalities, though no official confirmation has been made.
Iran stated the attacks were in response to a strike on its main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz on Saturday. Israel denied responsibility, and the Pentagon declined to comment.
In Tel Aviv, 15 more people were injured on Sunday morning in a separate incident involving a cluster bomb. These attacks are increasing pressure on Israel’s air defense systems as Iranian strikes continue to test their limits.
International Reactions and Missile Launches
The World Health Organization (WHO) described the conflict as being at a "perilous stage" and called for restraint.
“Attacks targeting nuclear sites create an escalating threat to public health and environmental safety,”
said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Tehran also fired long-range missiles for the first time on Saturday, according to Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir. Two ballistic missiles with a range of 4,000 km (2,500 miles) were launched at the US-British Indian Ocean military base at Diego Garcia.
British Cabinet Minister Steve Reed stated that one missile fell short and the other was intercepted. He added there was no evidence that Iran planned to strike Europe.
The Israel Defense Forces had previously indicated that Iran possessed missiles capable of reaching London, Paris, or Berlin, but Reed said he was unaware of any assessment suggesting Iran was attempting to target Europe or had the capability to do so.
Reed also commented that President Trump had been "speaking for himself" when threatening to obliterate Iran’s power plants.
Market Impact and Regional Attacks
Analysts noted that Trump’s threat created a "48-hour ticking time bomb of elevated uncertainty" over energy and financial markets, with a potential "black Monday" of plunging stock markets and surging energy prices unless tensions eased.
At least six overnight attacks targeted a US diplomatic and logistics center at Baghdad airport, according to Iraqi officials, while Saudi Arabia reported detecting three missiles over Riyadh. The UAE stated it responded to Iranian missile and drone attacks.
Hezbollah and Border Clashes
In southern Lebanon, Israel reported raiding Hezbollah sites on Sunday, killing 10 fighters from the group. Hezbollah claimed to have attacked several border areas in northern Israel. Emergency services reported one fatality in an Israeli kibbutz.
Helicopter Crash in Qatar
Three Turkish nationals, including a soldier, and three Qatari service personnel died when a helicopter crashed in Qatar’s territorial waters, the country’s defense ministry announced on Sunday.
Analysis of Bahrain Incident
An academic analysis reviewed by suggested that an interceptor missile that injured dozens of civilians in Bahrain 10 days into the war was likely fired by a US-operated Patriot air defense battery.
Manama and Washington have attributed the explosion on 9 March, which injured 32 people including children, some seriously, to an Iranian drone attack.
