By Maayan Lubell, Alexander Cornwell and Idrees Ali
TEL AVIV/JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if Tehran does not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, a dramatic escalation barely a day after he talked about “winding down” the war.
“If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!” Trump said on social media.
The threat of Iranian attacks has kept most ships from getting through the strait, a narrow waterway that serves as the conduit for around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, threatening a global energy shock. Its near-closure sent European gas prices surging as much as 35% last week.
The threat landed as the conflict entered dangerous new territory.
Israeli officials said Iranian forces had for the first time fired long-range missiles, expanding the risk of attacks beyond the Middle East, even as an Iranian strike injured dozens of people not far from Israel’s nuclear site.
Iran launched two 4,000-km (2,500-mile) range ballistic missiles at the U.S.-British military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said. The Israeli military said it was the first time Iran had used long-range missiles since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28.
“These missiles are not intended to strike Israel. Their range reaches European capitals – Berlin, Paris, and Rome are all within direct threat range,” Zamir said in a statement on Saturday.
A source at Britain’s defense ministry said the attack had occurred before the government gave specific authorization on Friday for the U.S. to use British military bases to carry out strikes on Iranian missile sites.
More than 2,000 people have been killed during the war. In Israel, 15 people have been killed in Iranian strikes.
Late on Saturday, Iranian missiles hit the southern Israeli cities of Dimona and Arad, injuring dozens of people, including children, in separate strikes. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement early Sunday that they targeted “military installations” and security centers in southern Israel.
Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a post on X that the country’s air defenses were functioning but did not intercept the strikes. “We will investigate the incident and learn from it,” he said.
Israel’s secretive nuclear reactor is about 13 km (8 miles) southeast of Dimona. Both cities lie near several military sites, including Nevatim Air Base, one of the country’s largest.
“This has been a very difficult evening in the battle for our future,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office following the strike on Arad.
“We are determined to continue striking our enemies on all fronts,” the statement said.
TRUMP SENDS MIXED SIGNALS
Trump and his administration have sent mixed messages about U.S. goals throughout the war, now in its fourth week, leaving U.S. allies struggling to respond.
Saturday’s ultimatum was the sharpest whiplash yet. Trump’s rhetoric pivoted from a drawdown to an explicit 48-hour countdown to strike Iran’s power infrastructure, even as U.S. Marines and heavy landing craft continue heading to the region.
U.S. voters appear increasingly concerned that the war could expand. Energy price shocks are fuelling inflation, hitting consumers and businesses hard, a major political liability for Trump as he seeks to justify the war to the public before November elections in which control of Congress is at stake.
Trump had also accused NATO allies of cowardice over their reluctance to help open the strait. Some allies have said they will consider it, but most say they are reluctant to join a war that Trump started without consulting them.
IRANIAN NUCLEAR SITE HIT
Iranian media said U.S. and Israeli forces had attacked the Shahid Ahmadi-Roshan Natanz enrichment complex on Saturday morning. Technical experts found no radioactive leaks, and nearby residents were not at risk. Israel said it was unaware of such a strike, while the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said it was investigating.
Iranian media later reported strikes on a passenger terminal in the southern port of Bushehr and an empty passenger ship at nearby Kharg Island. The island, where Iran loads nearly all its oil exports, is seen as a potential target if Washington decides to hit Iranian energy or to use ground troops to seize it.
Iran said it fired drones at U.S. bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait used to stage attacks on Iranian islands in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia on Saturday ordered Iran’s military attache and four other Iranian diplomats to leave the country.
Israel also attacked Beirut, saying it was targeting the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah militia, part of the deadliest spillover from the war on Iran. Hezbollah fired on Israel in support of Tehran on March 2.
Israel said its aircraft had attacked ballistic missile production sites around Tehran. Three members of a family were killed in a strike on a residential building in the city of Ramsar, Iranian media reported.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali in Washington, Andrew Mills in Doha, Timour Azhari in Riyadh, Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem and Alexander Cornwell in Tel Aviv; Additional reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Julia Harte and Lisa Shumaker; Editing by Nia Williams, Sergio Non and William Mallard)
