Cairo — president Donald Trump He warned that the United States would “wipe out” Iran’s power plants if the Islamic Republic did not fully open its doors Strait of Hormuz Within 48 hours. Iranian missiles hit two communities not far from Israel’s main nuclear research center late Saturday, destroying buildings and wounding dozens in the attacks.
developments indicated War It was moving in a dangerous new direction as it began its fourth week.
Trump, who issued the ultimatum in a social media post while spending the weekend at his home in Florida, said he was giving Iran 48 hours to open the vital waterway or face a new round of attacks. He said the United States would destroy “various power plants, starting with the largest first!”
Iran warned early Sunday that any strike on its energy facilities would lead to attacks on US and Israeli energy and infrastructure assets — particularly IT and desalination facilities — in the region, according to a statement citing an Iranian military spokesman cited by state and semi-official media.
the strait of hormuz, Connecting the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world’s oceans, it is a crucial route to the Mediterranean Sea The flow of oil in the world. Attacks On merchant ships Threats of further strikes have prevented almost all tankers from carrying oil and gas And other goods Through the corridor, which has led to production cuts from some of the world’s largest oil producers, because their crude has nowhere to go.
The Israeli army said that it was unable to intercept the missiles that struck the southern cities of Dimona and Arad, the largest near the center in the sparsely populated Negev desert in Israel. This was the first time that Iranian missiles penetrated Israeli air defense systems in the area surrounding the nuclear site.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said, before news of the strike on Arad spread, “If the Israeli regime is unable to intercept the missiles in the highly protected Dimona area, then this is, in practical terms, a sign of entering a new phase of the battle.”
Rescue workers said the direct strike in Arad caused widespread damage to at least 10 residential buildings, three of which were severely damaged and at risk of collapse. At least 64 people were taken to hospitals.
Dimona is located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of the nuclear research center and Arad, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) north.
It is believed that Israel is The only country in the Middle East that possesses nuclear weaponsAlthough its leaders refuse to confirm or deny its existence. The United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency said on the 10th that it had not received reports of damage to the Israeli center or abnormal radiation levels.
Iranian strikes in Israel came after Tehran strikes The main nuclear enrichment site at Natanz He was injured earlier in the day.
Earlier Saturday, Israel denied responsibility for the attack on Natanz, about 220 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Tehran. The official Mizan news agency affiliated with the Iranian judiciary said that there was no leak.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said that the bulk of Iran’s enriched uranium, estimated at about 970 pounds (440 kilograms), is located elsewhere under the rubble of its facility in Isfahan. She said in X that she was looking at the hit.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the raid on Natanz, which was also bombed in the first week of the war and in World War II. 12 day war Last June. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said such strikes pose “a real risk of a catastrophic catastrophe occurring throughout the Middle East.”
The United States and Israel have done this Variable justifications were offered For war from Hoping to spark an uprising Which overthrows Iran’s leadership to eliminate it Nuclear and missile programs And its support for armed agents. There have been no signs of an uprising, while internet restrictions limit the access of information from Iran.
The effects of the war are being felt far beyond the Middle East. Raising food and fuel prices.
Iran’s official radio reported on Saturday, citing the Ministry of Health, that the death toll in the war in Iran has so far exceeded 1,500 people. In Israel, Iranian missiles killed 15 people, and four others were killed in the occupied West Bank. At least 13 American military personnel were killed, along with more than a dozen civilians in Gulf states.
And in Lebanon, Israeli raids targeting Hezbollah The group, allied with Iran, killed more than a thousand people and displaced more than a million, according to the Lebanese government.
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Lawless reported from London and Liedman from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Sam Mednick based in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.