Iran says it will ‘irreversibly destroy’ Middle East infrastructure if US attacks energy sites
Iran Threatens Permanent Damage to Middle East Infrastructure in Response to US Energy Site Attacks
Tehran warned that it would “permanently damage” critical infrastructure throughout the Middle East if the United States targeted its energy facilities, following Donald Trump’s threat to “eliminate” Iranian power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz was unblocked within two days. Overnight missile strikes on two southern Israeli cities left dozens injured and shattered apartment buildings, signaling a possible sharp increase in regional conflict, which has lasted for four weeks.
Ali Mousavi, Iran’s delegate to the International Maritime Organisation, noted that the strait remained accessible to all ships except those linked to “Iran’s adversaries,” requiring coordination with Tehran for passage. Iranian strikes have effectively shut down the narrow strait, which transports about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas, sparking the worst oil crisis since the 1970s and pushing European gas prices up by 35% the prior week. Only around 5% of pre-war vessel traffic from friendly nations, such as China, India, and Pakistan, has been permitted through.
“Vital infrastructure as well as energy and oil infrastructure” across the region would become “legitimate targets” as soon as Iran’s own facilities were attacked, stated Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, on Sunday.
The Iranian military’s operational command, Khatam al-Anbiya, declared that if Trump’s ultimatum was enforced, the strait would be “entirely closed” and not reopened until Iranian power plants were restored. The statement also indicated Iran would target Israel’s “power plants, energy systems, and information and communications technology infrastructure,” along with facilities in the Middle East hosting US military bases and companies with American shareholders.
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, argued that “threats and terror” only “strengthen Iranian solidarity,” while the “notion of removing Iran from the map” showed “a desperate attempt to counter a resolute nation’s will.” On Saturday, US President Trump set a 48-hour deadline, with the Strait of Hormuz to be opened by Monday’s midnight GMT or the US would “launch and eliminate” Iranian power plants, beginning with the largest ones.
Over 2,000 individuals have perished since February 28, when the US and Israel began attacks on Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate by striking locations in Israel and Gulf states. Lebanon was drawn into the conflict after Iran-backed Hezbollah launched assaults on Israeli targets. Air alarms sounded across Israel early Sunday, warning of incoming missiles, following injuries in two separate strikes on Arad and Dimona.
The Israeli army announced it would retaliate against Tehran. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said during a visit to Arad that high-ranking commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards would be “personally targeted.” “We’re targeting the regime, the IRGC, this criminal group,” Netanyahu remarked, adding, “We’re pursuing them personally, their leaders, their installations, their economic holdings.”
Israel confirmed it could not intercept the missiles that hit Dimona and Arad, the nearest large cities to the Negev Desert’s nuclear complex, which is believed to hold the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal. The country has not officially admitted to possessing nuclear weapons, insisting the site is for research. The strikes marked the first time Iranian missiles had breached Israel’s air defense systems in that area.
The attacks left approximately 200 individuals injured, including a 12-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl, both in critical condition. Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 reported early signs of possible fatalities, though no official confirmation was provided. Iran claimed the strikes were in response to a US assault on its main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz on Saturday. Israel denied responsibility, and the Pentagon in Washington offered no comment.
On Sunday morning, an additional 15 people were injured in a separate Tel Aviv attack involving a cluster bomb, intensifying pressure on Israel’s air defenses as Iranian strikes grew more frequent.
