US President Donald Trump has given Tehran 48 hours to "fully open" the crucial Strait of Hormuz or the United States will "obliterate" Iran's power plants, a major escalation of tensions in a war that already threatens to spin out of control.
The deadline threat came at 7:44 p.m. Washington time on March 21 and was posted on his Truth Social platform:
"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! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP"
He did not specify the power plants that would be targeted by the United States and it comes one day after Trump said he was considering "winding down" military operations.
Even as he spoke, the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional ground forces to the region aboard US Navy ships to bolster military assets in the war with Iran, multiple media outlets have reported. The Pentagon hasn't commented officially on the reported deployments.
SEE ALSO: Iran's Chokehold On Hormuz And The Limits Of Military ForceIn an almost immediate response to Trump's ultimatum, Iran's military command was quoted by state media as saying that if Iran's fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked, all energy infrastructure belonging to the United States in the region will be targeted. Iran also said desalination facilities will be struck.
Although not physically blocked, Iran has made the waterway ungovernable through a combination of kinetic strikes, mines, electronic warfare, and market fear.
Blockage of the strait has restricted global supplies, sending oil prices surging worldwide and raising the cost of living for hundreds of millions of people.
Trump has demanded that countries that utilize the strait for transport of their energy resources take the lead in protecting shipping through the waterway, by military escort or other means.
US European allies and Japan have expressed readiness for "appropriate" efforts to secure passage through the strait, but many have said such an action would only come after a cease-fire, angering Trump, who called them "cowards."
Tit-For-Tat Attacks Near Nuclear Sites
Meanwhile, Israel and Iran appeared to intensify risks of a major disaster, with each side striking close to nuclear facilities of the other combatant, raising the rhetoric level in Tel Aviv and Tehran and worrying the UN atomic watchdog.
SEE ALSO: IAEA Urges 'Military Restraint' As Iran's Natanz Facility Hit, More Ground Troops Travel To RegionAn Iranian missile on March 21 hit the Israeli town of Dimona, which is home to a nuclear facility, in what Tehran said was in retaliation for strikes on its Natanz uranium enrichment facility earlier in the day.
Israel has never publicly acknowledged that it has a nuclear weapon and the Dimona complex is officially described as a research facility. The site, just outside the main town, is widely believed to possess Israel’s nuclear arsenal, the only such holding in the Middle East.
SEE ALSO: Israel, Iran Trade Strikes Near Nuclear Sites, Raising Risk Of Major DisasterAfter the earlier strike on Iran’s Natanz site, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reiterated its call for “military restraint to prevent a nuclear accident.”
The IAEA then repeated the call for “maximum military restraint” following Iran’s missile launch against Dimona.
"The IAEA is aware of reports of an incident in the city of Dimona, Israel, involving a missile impact and has not received any indication of damage to the nuclear research center Negev," the agency said on X.
"Information from regional states indicates that no abnormal radiation levels have been detected," it added.
'Direct Missile' Strike
The Israeli army told AFP there had been a "direct missile hit on a building" in Dimona as first responders said at least 33 people were injured at multiple sites.
"There was extensive damage and chaos at the scene," paramedic Karmel Cohen told AFP.
A second Iranian missile strike blasted the southern Israeli town of Arad, injuring at least 59 people, local officials said.
"Paramedics are providing medical treatment and transporting 59 patients to hospitals via dozens of ambulances," Israel's Magen David Adom first responder organization said.
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Kindergarten Seen Damaged After Reported Cluster Warhead Missile Strike In Central Israel
"Among them are six patients in serious condition, 13 patients in moderate condition, and 40 patients in mild condition," it added.
Firefighters said that "in both Dimona and Arad, interceptors were launched that failed to hit the threats, resulting in two direct hits by ballistic missiles with warheads weighing hundreds of kilograms."
Meanwhile, Israel also said its forces had struck a facility within a Tehran university that it claimed was being used to develop components for nuclear weapons.
"The Malek-Ashtar University facility was utilized by the Iranian terror regime's military industries and ballistic missiles array to develop nuclear weapon components and weapons," the military said.
'Battle For Our Future'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue striking Iran after what he called a "very difficult evening" following the attacks on Dimona and Arad.
"This is a very difficult evening in the battle for our future," Netanyahu said in a statement. "We are determined to continue striking our enemies on all fronts."
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Israel and the United States would begin intensifying their air strikes on Iran beginning on March 22.
"The intensity of the strikes to be carried out by the IDF and the US military against the Iranian terror regime and the infrastructure on which it relies will rise significantly," Katz said in a statement.
SEE ALSO: Next Flashpoint In Iran War? The Bab Al-Mandab Strait Off Yemen's CoastIran's Longest Shot
The world continued to react to Iran's surprise launch of ballistic missiles toward the joint US-UK base on the island of Diego Garcia, some 4,000 kilometers from Iranian territory.
Israel said Iranian forces had for the first time fired long-range missiles, expanding the risk of attacks beyond the Middle East. Neither missile hit the site.
"These missiles are not intended to strike Israel. Their range reaches European capitals -- Berlin, Paris, and Rome are all within direct threat range," Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said.
SEE ALSO: Iran's Missile Cap Died With Khamenei, Putting Europe Within Reach