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The US envoy to the UN has refused to rule out potential strikes on Iran’s nuclear power plant

23.03.2026
0 1 Время чтения: 7 мин.

US President Donald Trump demanded on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened within 48 hours

Published 22 Mar, 2026 23:26

| Updated 23 Mar, 2026 03:13Iran vows to target region’s water and energy infrastructure if US strikes power plants

Iran vows to target region’s water and energy infrastructure if US strikes power plants

A building destroyed by an Iranian missile in Dimona, Israel, on March 22, 2026. ©  Israeli Defense Forces / IDF / Anadolu / Getty Images

Iran warned it would target energy and water infrastructure across the Middle East following US President Donald Trump’s Saturday threat to strike Iran’s power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz is fully reopened within 48 hours.

Iran has kept the vital shipping route closed to most vessels since February 28, when the US and Israel launched the first wave of strikes against the country.

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Although the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck several tankers attempting to cross the strait, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday blamed insurers for the disruption to navigation.

The war entered its fourth week on Monday, with neither side showing signs of de-escalation and global energy prices continuing to surge. Trump ruled out a ceasefire over the weekend, arguing that the US was close to significantly reducing Iran’s missile and nuclear capabilities. Tehran, however, remained defiant, vowing to continue the fight.

Israel said on Sunday that it would expand ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where the IDF had destroyed several bridges across the strategic Litani River.

At least 1,444 people have been killed and 18,551 injured in US-Israeli attacks on Iran since February 28, Iran’s Health Ministry said.

READ MORE:
America’s war with Iran could destroy NATO from within

Iran’s retaliatory strikes killed 15 people in Israel and seven US service members at bases in the region. A further six US service members were killed in a crash involving a refueling aircraft.

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Here are the latest developments:

  • US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike power plants in Iran unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened within 48 hours.
  • Iran has kept the crucial waterway largely closed to vessels linked to the US and Israel since the outbreak of the war on February 28. The Hormuz disruption – affecting a route carrying roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies – has already pushed crude prices higher and heightened concerns over a prolonged global supply shock.
  • The IRGC has released a statement, saying that should the power plants be targeted, the Strait of Hormuz will be “completely” closed and won’t be reopened until the facilities are rebuilt.
  • Saudi Arabia has declared several Iranian embassy staff, including the military attaché, as persona non grata, ordering them to leave the country within 24 hours due to Tehran’s ongoing attacks on the Gulf region.

Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.

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  • 23 March 2026

    03:12 GMT

    Powerful explosions have been reported across Tehran, shortly after Israel said it had launched a “wave of extensive strikes” targeting government infrastructure in the city.

    Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Suhaib al-Asa described the scale and intensity of the blasts in the eastern part of the Iranian capital as “unprecedented.”

    Airstrikes were also reported in the southern city of Bushehr, home to Iran’s only nuclear power plant.

  • 02:34 GMT

    An airstrike damaged a residential building in Urmia in northwestern Iran, near the border with Iraq and Türkiye, Iranian media reported.

  • 02:18 GMT

    A US-operated Patriot interceptor missile malfunctioned and crashed into a residential neighborhood in Bahrain on March 9, injuring dozens, a visual analysis by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies suggests, according to Reuters.

    Bahrain acknowledged for the first time on Saturday that a US missile was involved in the blast over the Mahazza neighborhood on Sitra Island, near the capital, Manama, Reuters reported.

  • 02:03 GMT

    NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told CBS News that members of the military bloc were working together to “secure free navigation” through the Strait of Hormuz.

    Rutte downplayed US President Donald Trump’s remarks calling NATO “a paper tiger” and labeling European countries that declined his call to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz “cowards.” He said member state were working with the US behind the scenes and “needed a couple of weeks to come together.”

  • 01:03 GMT

    New Iranian missile strikes were reported in central Israel.

    The barrage came after around 180 people were injured in earlier attacks on Arad and Dimona, which prompted the Israeli military to launch an investigation into a failure of its air defense systems.

  • 00:16 GMT

    US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz has refused to rule out potential strikes on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant.

    When asked by CBS whether President Donald Trump’s threats meant he was “going to bomb a nuclear power plant,” Waltz replied: “Well, I would never take anything off the table for the president, certainly not on national television.”

  • 22 March 2026

    23:45 GMT

    The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has released footage showing strikes on drones and vehicles in Iran.

    CENTCOM also denied Iranian claims that an F-15 fighter jet was shot down near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.

  • 23:35 GMT

    New CCTV footage shows the moment an Iranian missile struck Arad in southern Israel on Saturday evening.

    The Israeli Health Ministry said 180 people were injured in Arad and Dimona, which hosts Israel’s main nuclear facility.

  • 23:26 GMT

    Iran’s military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said the Strait of Hormuz would be “completely closed” to all vessels, not just “enemy ships,” if the US carries out its threat to bomb Iranian power plants.

    Zolfaghari added that Iran would strike energy and communications infrastructure in Israel, including “all power plants,” and target US companies in the region. He reiterated that power plants in countries hosting US bases would be “legitimate targets.”

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  • 22 March 2026

    23:26 GMT

    Iran’s military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said the Strait of Hormuz would be “completely closed” to all vessels, not just “enemy ships,” if the US carries out its threat to bomb Iranian power plants.

    Zolfaghari added that Iran would strike energy and communications infrastructure in Israel, including “all power plants,” and target US companies in the region. He reiterated that power plants in countries hosting US bases would be “legitimate targets.”

  • 23:35 GMT

    New CCTV footage shows the moment an Iranian missile struck Arad in southern Israel on Saturday evening.

    The Israeli Health Ministry said 180 people were injured in Arad and Dimona, which hosts Israel’s main nuclear facility.

  • 23:45 GMT

    The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has released footage showing strikes on drones and vehicles in Iran.

    CENTCOM also denied Iranian claims that an F-15 fighter jet was shot down near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.

  • 23 March 2026

    00:16 GMT

    US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz has refused to rule out potential strikes on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant.

    When asked by CBS whether President Donald Trump’s threats meant he was “going to bomb a nuclear power plant,” Waltz replied: “Well, I would never take anything off the table for the president, certainly not on national television.”

  • 01:03 GMT

    New Iranian missile strikes were reported in central Israel.

    The barrage came after around 180 people were injured in earlier attacks on Arad and Dimona, which prompted the Israeli military to launch an investigation into a failure of its air defense systems.

  • 02:03 GMT

    NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told CBS News that members of the military bloc were working together to “secure free navigation” through the Strait of Hormuz.

    Rutte downplayed US President Donald Trump’s remarks calling NATO “a paper tiger” and labeling European countries that declined his call to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz “cowards.” He said member state were working with the US behind the scenes and “needed a couple of weeks to come together.”

  • 02:18 GMT

    A US-operated Patriot interceptor missile malfunctioned and crashed into a residential neighborhood in Bahrain on March 9, injuring dozens, a visual analysis by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies suggests, according to Reuters.

    Bahrain acknowledged for the first time on Saturday that a US missile was involved in the blast over the Mahazza neighborhood on Sitra Island, near the capital, Manama, Reuters reported.

  • 02:34 GMT

    An airstrike damaged a residential building in Urmia in northwestern Iran, near the border with Iraq and Türkiye, Iranian media reported.

  • 03:12 GMT

    Powerful explosions have been reported across Tehran, shortly after Israel said it had launched a “wave of extensive strikes” targeting government infrastructure in the city.

    Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Suhaib al-Asa described the scale and intensity of the blasts in the eastern part of the Iranian capital as “unprecedented.”

    Airstrikes were also reported in the southern city of Bushehr, home to Iran’s only nuclear power plant.

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23.03.2026
0 1 Время чтения: 7 мин.
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