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US President Donald Trump gave Iran a two-day deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or have its power plants bombed, upping the ante in a war that\u2019s showing no sign of de-escalation into its fourth week.<\/p>\n
Trump, under pressure to bring down soaring oil prices, said Iran must \u201cfully open, without threat\u201d the vital waterway for energy flows. He gave the Islamic Republic 48 hours \u201cfrom this exact point in time,\u201d in a Truth Social post sent at 7:44pm New York time on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Read:<\/p>\n
Trump leaves allies and foes guessing on endgame for Iran
\nTrump seeks de-escalation after Iran, Israel strike gas hubs<\/p>\n
Iran countered that \u2013 if its power facilities do come under attack \u2013 it would close the Strait of Hormuz \u201ccompletely\u201d, state TV reported on Sunday, citing a statement from army command.<\/p>\n
The passage has been effectively shut since the US and Israel began attacking Iran on 28 February, though vessels from certain countries have managed to get through.<\/p>\n
The Iranian military will target \u201call energy, information technology, and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the Israeli regime in the region\u201d, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The rhetoric suggests neither side is willing to back down, with the war having already triggered an unprecedented oil and gas supply crisis.<\/p>\n
The latest threats follow a week of heavy hits on crucial energy infrastructure in the Middle East, deepening the prospect of the fighting having a long-term\u00a0impact on the global economy.<\/p>\n
Oil and gas flows are likely to take time to return to normal levels even after the Strait of Hormuz reopens, with many production sites damaged. The blockages are also causing shortages of fertilisers and crop nutrients, raising the prospect of critical disruptions to food output.<\/p>\n
The US and Israel continued to target sites in Iran on Sunday, including around the capital, Tehran. The Islamic Republic is firing missiles and drones at Israel and Arab Gulf nations.<\/p>\n
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said ongoing attacks on Iran are aimed at destroying its fortifications along the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
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Trump will \u201ctake whatever steps it takes\u201d to achieve goals including destroying Iran\u2019s air force and navy, denying it the ability to have nuclear weapons and \u201ctheir ability to project power internationally\u201d, Bessent said on Sunday on NBC\u2019s Meet the Press.<\/p>\n
Read: Iran vows revenge for Larijani as Trump says war may end soon<\/p>\n
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also reiterated his country\u2019s military objectives, telling reporters the aims are to \u201cbreak completely their nuclear programme, break completely their missile programme\u201d.<\/p>\n
He added that Israel has \u201ca goal of creating conditions\u201d for Iranians to overthrow their leaders.<\/p>\n
The Iranian regime isn\u2019t close to falling and officials are coalescing around the remaining leaders, according to Western intelligence assessments and people familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n
More than 4 000 people have been killed in the war throughout the region, according to governments and non-government agencies, with more than three quarters of the fatalities in Iran.<\/p>\n
Read: Trump ditches appeal for help in Iran war, slamming allies<\/p>\n
In Lebanon, where Israel has stepped up an offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, the toll is over 1 000. Dozens of people have been killed in Israel and Arab states.<\/p>\n
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Sunday warned that Israel\u2019s targeting of infrastructure and vital facilities in southern Lebanon could be \u201ca prelude to a ground invasion\u201d.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s missile strikes against Israel have\u00a0picked up\u00a0in recent days.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, about 115 people were injured in the southern cities of Arad and Dimona, which lends its name to a nearby nuclear research facility. Iranian media said it was a retaliation against an attack on its Natanz nuclear facility.<\/p>\n
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Speaking on Sunday, Netanyahu called on the leaders of other countries to join the war.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy to say that I can see some of them beginning to move in that direction,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s latest warning to Iran came a day after he said he was thinking about\u00a0\u201cwinding down\u201d\u00a0military operations and that the responsibility for policing Hormuz would fall to other countries.<\/p>\n
That typified the mixed signals that have come from the president throughout the war, leaving governments and markets scrambling to keep up.<\/p>\n
Traffic through Hormuz, through which one fifth of the world\u2019s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies normally flow, has effectively ground to a halt since the war started.<\/p>\n
Brent crude has surged to over $112 a barrel, its highest level in almost four years. Prices of US gasoline, fertilisers and many metals that are shipped through Hormuz have also jumped.<\/p>\n
Some countries, however, are finding ways to get cargoes through the corridor. The Iranian Navy guided an Indian LPG tanker through the strait following diplomatic engagement by New Delhi.<\/p>\n
Iran has said the chokepoint is open to all but enemy-linked ships.<\/p>\n
Until now, the US and Israel have largely avoided targeting Iran\u2019s power and water plants.<\/p>\n
Read:<\/p>\n
Oil and gas jump as Iran widens energy threat
\nUAE gas field struck, key oil hub halts as attacks intensify
\nHormuz escape route suggests ships navigate on Iran\u2019s terms<\/p>\n
Israel did strike fuel depots in Tehran two weeks ago, causing\u00a0acid rain clouds\u00a0and drawing veiled criticism from the US, which felt it was a strategic error that could turn Iranian civilians against the offensive.<\/p>\n
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Iran has around 100 operational natural gas power plants, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Among the largest are the Damavand plant near Tehran, the Ramin facility north of Ahvaz in the west, and the Kerman facility in Chatroud in the southeast.<\/p>\n
The Middle East\u2019s energy assets have increasingly come into focus as attacks widen.<\/p>\n
Israel struck the South Pars gas field last Wednesday, and Iran retaliated with its own\u00a0volleys on the world\u2019s largest LNG facility, in Qatar, alongside other Gulf energy assets.<\/p>\n
Oil prices in London have jumped more than 50% since the war started, sparking concerns over global inflation.<\/p>\n
The price spikes \u2013 particularly of gasoline \u2013 pose political risks for Trump at home, just eight months before midterm elections.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The US is pumping record amounts of oil and gas domestically, but the likes of Europe, China and Japan are more reliant on Middle East resources.<\/p>\n
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that the joint campaign would intensify significantly, a day after Tehran launched ballistic missiles at the joint US-UK military base in Diego Garcia \u2013 nearly 4 000km from Iran.<\/p>\n
The attack demonstrated a capability that goes beyond what Iran was known to have possessed.<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a02026\u00a0Bloomberg<\/p>\n
#Trump #Iran #hurl #war #threats #Hormuz #crisis #deepens<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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