The US-Israel war on Iran escalated sharply on Sunday as President Donald Trump threatened to destroy Iranian power plants if Tehran does not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, while Iranian missiles struck two southern Israeli cities near the country's main nuclear research facility, wounding at least 180 people.
Trump issued the ultimatum late Saturday on his Truth Social platform, warning that the United States would "hit and obliterate" Iranian energy infrastructure — "starting with the biggest one first" — if freedom of navigation through the Hormuz Strait was not fully restored. The deadline is set to expire at approximately 23:44 GMT on Monday.
Iran responded swiftly and defiantly. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on X that any attack on Iranian power plants would "immediately" trigger retaliatory strikes on energy and oil infrastructure across the entire region. "Critical infrastructure and energy and oil infrastructure throughout the region will be considered legitimate targets and irreversibly destroyed, and oil prices will rise for a long time," Ghalibaf wrote. Iran's Deputy Defence Minister Reza Talaei-Nik separately asserted that Tehran's military capabilities remained robust, citing strategic reserves and two decades of domestic weapons production.
The ultimatum came just one day after Trump had spoken publicly of the war "winding down" — a statement that now appears at odds with the ground reality. New US ground forces, including a Marine reconnaissance unit, are heading to the region, and American and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets have continued without pause.
Dimona and Arad Struck
In one of the most dramatic escalations of the three-week-old conflict, Iran fired ballistic missiles late Saturday at the Israeli cities of Dimona and Arad in the Negev desert. Dimona is home to Israel's main nuclear research centre, though the International Atomic Energy Agency said it had received no indication of damage to the facility itself. Israel's Health Ministry reported at least 180 people injured across both cities, with several in serious condition. More than 4,500 Israelis have now been hospitalised since the war began on 28 February. The Israeli Air Force announced it is investigating its failure to intercept the Dimona strike.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the night as "very difficult" and called on world leaders from the site of the Arad attack to join the US-Israel war effort, claiming Iran possessed the capability to strike targets deep into Europe. Speaking separately, Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to accelerate demolitions of Lebanese homes in front-line border villages and to destroy all bridges over the Litani River, moves that rights groups have warned risk amounting to collective punishment.
Iran has now fired more than 400 ballistic missiles at Israel since the war began, according to Israeli military spokesperson Nadav Shoshani, with an interception rate of approximately 92 percent.
Gulf States Under Fire
The conflict's regional footprint continued to expand on Sunday. Bahrain's armed forces announced they had intercepted and destroyed 145 missiles and 246 drones since the war began. Saudi Arabia said it detected three missiles launched towards Riyadh overnight, intercepting one while two fell in uninhabited areas. The UAE said its air defences were actively responding to incoming aerial attacks, including reports of an explosion near a vessel off the coast of Sharjah. Abu Dhabi's National Disaster Management Authority confirmed air defences were engaging a missile threat over the city.
Saudi Arabia escalated its diplomatic response on Sunday, declaring Iran's military attaché and four embassy diplomats persona non grata and ordering them to leave within 24 hours, following an Iranian strike on the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Qatar had taken a similar step last Wednesday after Iran struck a key gas facility on its territory.
GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi dismissed Iranian claims that all six Gulf states bear responsibility for US military operations as "baseless", while condemning Iran's "continued blatant and treacherous attacks" on member states.
Hormuz and the Global Economy
At the heart of the crisis is the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies normally pass. Iran has effectively shut the waterway to ships it designates as hostile, while an Iranian MP disclosed on Sunday that Tehran is levying fees of up to two million dollars on vessels it permits to transit. Iran's UN representative to the International Maritime Organisation stated that the strait remains open to all except ships linked to "enemy" nations, adding that diplomacy remains Tehran's priority.
The economic shockwaves are spreading globally. Oil prices have surged above 100 dollars a barrel, European gas prices have more than doubled, and countries from Sri Lanka — which raised fuel prices by 25 percent for the second time in a fortnight — to Japan are scrambling to manage the fallout. The US has issued a 30-day waiver allowing countries to purchase sanctioned Russian oil to ease the shortfall, a move that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned would hand Vladimir Putin a significant financial windfall to sustain his war in Ukraine.
Iran's nationwide internet blackout entered its 23rd consecutive day on Sunday, leaving millions of civilians without independent access to information. Meanwhile, Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who came to power earlier this month following the death of his father in the initial strikes, remained absent from Eid al-Fitr prayers and has made no public appearance since an address on 12 March — fuelling growing speculation about his whereabouts and health.
The overall death toll from the conflict has now surpassed 1,500 in Iran, more than 1,000 in Lebanon, 16 in Israel and 13 among US military personnel, according to the Associated Press, with millions displaced across the region.