Here’s a roundup of the latest headlines on the crisis in the Middle East as the United States (US) and Israel’s war on Iran enters its fourth week:
- US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that they would “destroy” Iran’s power plants, starting with the largest, if they refuse to open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
- Iran has warned that it will retaliate and target all U.S.-linked energy infrastructure in the Middle East if the United States attacks its power plants. In a statement released Sunday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the Strait of Hormuz would be completely closed if the United States followed through on threats against its energy facilities, adding that companies with U.S. shares would be “completely destroyed.”
- Iran’s representative to the UN maritime agency said the Strait of Hormuz remains open to all shipping, except for ships linked to its enemies.
- In a joint statement on Saturday, the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries called for an “immediate and unconditional cessation of all attacks by Iran” and reiterated that the G7 stands ready to take the necessary steps to support global energy supplies.
- Iran fired long-range missiles for the first time since the beginning of the conflict and hit the southern Israeli city of Dimona, located near military bases and the Israeli Negev Nuclear Research Center. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it had not received any signals of damage to the nuclear facility. The BBC reported that more than 160 people were injured in the attack, some seriously.
