Iran threatens to retaliate after Trump's ultimatum against Gulf water and energy

Iran has warned that it will strike water and energy infrastructure in the Gulf region if U.S. president Donald Trump follows through with his threat to "attack" its electricity grid. This is raising fears about a massive disruption of drinking water for a region heavily reliant on desalination.

Trump gave a deadline of 7:45 pm EDT (2345 GMT) on Monday, warning late Saturday that the United States will strike Iran's nuclear power plants if Tehran does not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz in 48 hours.

Oil?markets opened choppy early in Asia trading due to the prospect of tit for tat attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Tehran continues to show its capability to strike back after more than three weeks heavy U.S.-Israeli bombardment, which officials claim has reduced Iran's ability to launch missiles. Overnight on Sunday, air raid sirens were heard in Tel Aviv and other parts of central and northern Israel, as well as the West Bank occupied, to warn of Iranian missiles.

Israeli officials had announced earlier that they had carried out a series of airstrikes on Tehran, targeting a military base and weapons storage and production facilities.

The semi-official Mehr News reported that an air strike was launched on a radio station located in the Iranian Gulf port of Bandar Abbas, and Air Defenses in east Tehran were activated.

Trump's warning was issued less than one day after he suggested that the United States might consider ending the conflict. This came as U.S. marines and heavy landing craft headed to the region.

According to state media, Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zalfaqari stated that if Iran's energy and fuel infrastructure was attacked, the US, the regime, and all energy infrastructure in the region, including information technology, would be targeted.

While attacks on electricity may hurt Iran, it could be catastrophic for its Gulf neighbors, who consume five times more power per capita. Their gleaming desert cities are habitable thanks to electricity, which powers the desalination plant that produces 100% of the water used in Bahrain and Qatar. These plants use seawater for more than 80% drinking water in the United Arab Emirates and 50% in Saudi Arabia.

Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Iranian Parliament Speaker, wrote on X that if Iranian power plants were attacked they could "irreversibly destroy" critical infrastructure and energy facilities throughout the Middle East.

The powerful Revolutionary Guards of Iran said that it would also shut down the shipping lanes where a quarter of all global oil and natural gas liquefied transits along Iran's south coast.

The Guards issued a statement saying that the Strait of Hormuz would be "completely closed" and not reopened until our power plants were rebuilt.

The war that the U.S. launched with Israel on February 28 has killed more than 2,000 people, upended the markets, pushed fuel prices higher, fueled inflation fears worldwide, and shook the Western alliance after the Second World War.

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The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed by Iranian attacks, leading to the worst oil shortage since the 1970s. Last week, its near-closure caused European gas prices to soar by as much as 35 percent.

The United States of America, starting with the biggest power plant, will destroy their various POWER PLANTS if Iran does not FULLY OPEN the Strait of Hormuz without THREAT within 48 HOURS from this point in time. Trump posted on social networks around 7:45 pm EDT (2345 GMT), on Saturday.

Iranian media reported that the country's representative at the International Maritime Organisation said the strait is open to all ships except those linked to "Iran’s enemies".

Ali Mousavi stated that Tehran could coordinate security and safety measures to allow passage through the waterway.

Data from ship-tracking shows that some vessels have been able to negotiate a safe passage through the Strait, including Indian-flagged ships, and a Pakistani tanker. The vast majority of vessels have remained inside.

Israel and the United States claim that their three-week 'intensive air strikes' have severely weakened Iran’s ability to project its force beyond its borders. Tehran launched its first 'long-range ballistics missiles' with a range exceeding 4,000 km (2,500 mi) towards an American-British military base in the Indian Ocean on Friday, increasing the threat of attacks outside the Middle East.

A hospital in Israel described Sunday's Iranian attacks on two towns in southern Israel as a "major casualty" event. The towns are located near Israel's secretive nuclear reactor, as well as a number military installations including Nevatim Air Base.

ISRAEL EXPECTS "WEEKS MORE FIGHTING"

Israel said on Sunday that its troops raided several of the Hezbollah's sites located in southern Lebanon.

Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier-General Effie Defrin said reporters that Israel continues to strike Iran nonstop, and they expect "weeks of more fighting against Iran and Hezbollah."

Hezbollah claimed it attacked several border zones?in northern Israel. Israeli emergency services confirmed that one person had been killed in a border kibbutz. Israel said that it would check to see if the death was due to Israeli fire.

Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets against Israel after it entered the regional conflict on March 2. This prompted an Israeli offensive which has killed over 1,000 people in Lebanon.

Israel has instructed its military to speed up the demolition of Lebanese houses in "frontline" villages to stop threats against Israelis and destroy all bridges across the Litani River, which they claim are used for "terrorist activities".

(source: Reuters)