World Tensions Escalate After Trump's 48-Hour Ultimatum, Iran Threatens Retaliation
The war between Iran and the United States (US) and Israel continues to heat up, with Iran recently planning to attack power generation centres and factories supplying weapons in Israel if US President Donald Trump proceeds with plans to wipe out Iran’s electricity network.
This was confirmed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in a statement reported by Reuters on Monday (23/3/2026).
The statement appears to retract previous threats against desalination plants in the region, which are vital for drinking water supply in Gulf countries.
“Lies … United States. The President has claimed that the Revolutionary Guard intends to attack water desalination plants and cause difficulties for people in the region,” said the Iranian Revolutionary Guard statement, quoted from Reuters, on Monday (23/3/2026).
“We are determined to respond to any threat at the same level it creates in terms of deterrence. If you cut off electricity, we will retaliate in kind,” it continued.
On Saturday, Trump warned that Iran’s power plants would be destroyed if Tehran fails to “fully open” the Strait of Hormuz for oil shipping routes within 48 hours. Trump set the deadline until Monday around 7:45 pm local time.
Iran’s attacks have effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which carries one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas, causing the worst oil crisis since the 1970s.
The war has also resulted in more than 2,000 deaths since it began on 28 February, leaving markets in turmoil, surging fuel costs, and triggering concerns over global inflation and shaking post-war Western alliances.
Threats to cut off the Gulf’s electricity grid on Sunday heightened fears of massive disruptions to desalination for drinking water and an increasingly unsettled oil market, with prices opening volatile in the Asian trading session.
After more than three weeks of heavy US and Israeli bombings that officials say have sharply reduced Iran’s missile capabilities, Tehran continues to demonstrate its ability to strike back.
Air raid sirens sounded across northern and central parts of Israel, including Tel Aviv and the occupied West Bank last night, warning of incoming missiles from Iran.
The Israeli military said it had launched a large-scale wave of attacks targeting Iranian infrastructure in Tehran.
Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has officially replaced his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first wave of attacks on 28 February. Since then, he has not been seen in public.
Trump’s warning to attack Iran’s electricity network came less than a day after he signalled that the US might consider halting the conflict.
While attacks on electricity could harm Iran, they could be disastrous for its Gulf neighbours, who consume about five times more power per capita.
Electricity makes their gleaming desert cities habitable, partly by powering desalination plants that produce 100% of consumable water in Bahrain and Qatar. Those plants use seawater to meet more than 80% of drinking water needs in the United Arab Emirates and 50% of the water supply in Saudi Arabia.
The powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard said that despite the threats, the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed.
“The Strait of Hormuz will be fully closed and will not be opened until our destroyed power plants are rebuilt,” the Guard said in another statement.