Trump Threatens Iran with Strikes as Tensions Escalate After Attacks on Israel
US President Donald Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran on Sunday, demanding the immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global oil and liquefied natural gas trade. The threat, delivered via Trump’s Truth Social platform, included a stark warning of attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities should the ultimatum be ignored, beginning with the “biggest” one.
The Iranian military swiftly responded with a counter-threat, as reported by the semi-official Fars News Agency. According to the statement, any attack on Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure would trigger retaliatory strikes targeting energy and desalination plants across the Gulf region with connections to the United States. This escalation follows three weeks of heightened tensions stemming from US and Israeli attacks within Iran.
The de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, initiated after the February 28th attacks, has already sent shockwaves through global energy markets, driving up oil prices and disrupting shipping lanes. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates reported renewed Iranian rocket attacks Sunday morning, further exacerbating the situation.
The US military has reportedly intensified its targeting of Iranian warships and drones in the region, employing bunker-busting bombs against Iranian missile positions near the Strait of Hormuz, according to US media reports. Trump, speaking Friday, reportedly stated, “I don’t desire a ceasefire. You don’t make a ceasefire when you’re literally wiping the other side off the map.” He later claimed on Truth Social that the US was “close to reaching our goals” in the conflict, asserting that Iran had been “wiped off the map,” a claim that remains unverified.
Simultaneously, Israel faced a barrage of Iranian rockets Saturday evening, injuring over 100 people in the southern cities of Dimona and Arad. Iranian state media claimed the attacks targeted an Israeli nuclear research facility near Dimona, a claim the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated it had found no evidence to support, reporting no damage to the Negev Nuclear Research Center. The attacks were presented as retaliation for an alleged Israeli strike on Iran’s uranium enrichment facility in Natanz earlier Saturday, an incident Israel denies.
Adding to the escalating tensions, Iran reportedly launched two rockets toward the US-British base on Diego Garcia, located approximately 4,000 kilometers southeast of the Iranian coast. While US media reports indicate the rockets did not hit the base, the distance of the attack demonstrates a range exceeding previously acknowledged capabilities of Iran’s missile arsenal, raising concerns about potential reach into European cities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have vowed to continue attacks against Iran, stating their commitment to “eliminate every security threat to the State of Israel and the interests of the USA in the region.” Katz specifically mentioned plans to continue “eliminating” Iranian commanders and destroying the Islamic Republic’s strategic capabilities.