Donald Trump threatens Iran’s power grid over Strait of Hormuz; Tehran vows to strike US energy and water infrastructure

Donald Trump warned that the US would “obliterate” Iranian power plants if Tehran failed to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours — a threat swiftly met by Iran with counter-warnings targeting American infrastructure across the region.

The sharp exchange marked a dangerous escalation as the Middle East conflict entered its fourth week.

Posting from Florida, Trump said the US would destroy “various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!” if Iran did not reopen the critical shipping route, which has been effectively shut amid the fighting and is key to global energy supplies.

Iran’s military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, responded on Sunday, warning that any attack on its energy infrastructure would trigger strikes on US-linked energy, IT, and desalination facilities across the region.

The war of words came as Iranian missiles struck the southern Israeli towns of Dimona and Arad late Saturday, wounding more than 100 people and causing widespread destruction near Israel’s main nuclear research hub in the Negev desert. The strikes followed an earlier hit on Iran’s nuclear enrichment site at Natanz.

Israel’s military said it failed to intercept the missiles — the first such breach of air defenses in the sensitive Dimona area — prompting concerns of a new phase in the conflict. Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the development signaled a shift in battlefield dynamics.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as a “very difficult evening” as emergency teams rushed to affected sites. In Arad, at least 10 apartment buildings were damaged, with several at risk of collapse, while dozens were hospitalized.

The escalation underscores growing risks to regional stability and global markets, particularly as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz threaten energy flows. The conflict, now stretching into its fourth week, has already driven up food and fuel prices worldwide.

Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency said it had received no reports of damage or abnormal radiation levels at Israel’s nuclear facility near Dimona.

Iran also signaled an expansion of its reach, reportedly targeting the UK-US military base at Diego Garcia — suggesting longer-range strike capabilities than previously acknowledged.

As fighting intensifies, Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir warned that the war is “not close to ending,” pointing to a prolonged and increasingly volatile confrontation with far-reaching global consequences.