Trump threatens Iran with further attacks if Hormuz does not reopen within 48 hours
Donald Trump has posted this on Truth Social in the past few minutes: “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.”
Key events
The Stait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important trade arteries, through which a fifth of global oil and seaborne gas is shipped from production facilities and refineries in the Gulf to buyers around the world.
The strait carries just over 20m barrels of oil a day, making it the busiest oil route after the strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also the most important trade route for cargoes of liquified natural gas (LNG), shipped on super-chilled tankers.
But unlike the Malacca corridor – which carries roughly 23.2m barrels a day to buyers in China, Japan and South Korea – the Hormuz strait is far more difficult to circumvent, making it the biggest chokepoint in the global energy system.
The crisis has caused soaring oil prices, and had a very immediate impact in parts of Asia, which relies heavily on imported energy from the Gulf. Governments such as Vietnam have encouraged people to work from home to conserve fuel, while the Philippines has introduced a four-day week for many government workers.
Trump has threatened to “hit and obliterate” Iranian power plants if Tehran does not “fully open” the strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, as he faces growing pressure to secure this crucial waterway.
Iran has effectively closed down the strait by attacking ships and reportedly laying mines in the waterway, causing a major crisis in global energy markets.
There are growing concerns the US does not have a clean exit strategy from the conflict that can guarantee a stable resumption of the oil trade and other freight.
Several Nato members and other US allied nations pledged last week to join “appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage” through the strait. But a joint statement from the leaders of more than a dozen nations – including the UK , France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Bahrain – did not provide details on how they would do this. Trump earlier called alliance members “cowards” for not wanting “to help open” the waterway.
The US is reportedly preparing to send three more warships and thousands more troops to the Middle East – though on Friday Trump also said he was considering “winding down” the US war on Iran.
His latest 48 hour ultimatum, posted on Truth Social, has already prompted warnings from Iran’s military that it will target US energy infrastructure if its own facilities are attacked.
The Iranian military’s operational command Khatam Al-Anbiya said in a statement carried by Fars news agency:
Following previous warnings, if Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure is violated by the enemy, all energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the regime in the region will be targeted.”
A Qatari helicopter has crashed in its regional waters after suffering a technical malfunction during “routine duty”, Qatar’s defence ministry said.
Search operations were under way for crew members and passengers.
The Israeli military says its forces have launched a wave of strikes on Tehran early on Sunday.
A brief statement said Israeli forces were “currently conducting strikes on Iranian terror regime targets in the heart of Tehran”.
Iran threatens retaliation against US energy infrastructure if its facilities are attacked
Iran’s Armed Forces Unified Combatant has warned that if Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked, all energy infrastructures belonging to the US in the region will be targeted, according to Iranian media.
This follows an earlier threat by Trump that the US will “obliterate” Iranian power plants if Tehran doesn’t fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
More than 1,000 cargo ships, mainly oil and gas tankers, have been blocked from transiting the strait since the war began, prompting an escalating energy crisis.
The strait is the only maritime passage out of the Gulf and the route for about a quarter of the world’s liquefied natural gas and seaborne trade. Shipping is confined to a pair of two-mile-wide lanes, one for outbound traffic and one for incoming, separated by a two-mile-wide meridian.
An unknown projectile struck a vessel 15 nautical miles north of the United Arab Emirates’ Sharjah, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said, according to a report from Reuters.
It said that all crew were reported safe.
Australia’s fuel supply remains strong and there are no immediate plans to ration fuel to manage the impact of the Iran war on the nation’s supply chain, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said on Sunday, reports Reuters.
Australia, which imports about 90% of its fuel, has experienced localised shortages as the escalating US-Israeli war disrupts supply.
The nation has 38 days’ worth of petrol and 30 days of diesel and jet fuel, Bowen said in televised remarks, citing data from Saturday. Supply remains strong despite the cancellation of six fuel shipments from Asia, he said.
“While we are dealing with an uncertainty, we still have two refineries working full pelt. It would be better if we had more, sure, but we do have two, and we also have the boats continuing to arrive,” he said.
Asked about whether the centre-left government would consider using emergency powers to ration fuel, Bowen said: “We’re a long way from that“.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese again urged Australians not to panic-buy fuel amid shortages in some rural areas.
“People need to engage responsibly, and I’m sure that overwhelmingly that’s what Australians will do,” Albanese said, according to an official transcript.
Trump threatens Iran with further attacks if Hormuz does not reopen within 48 hours
Donald Trump has posted this on Truth Social in the past few minutes: “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.”
A British nuclear-powered submarine equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles has taken position in the Arabian Sea, giving Britain the capability to launch long-range strikes if regional conflict escalates, the Daily Mail reported.
Almost 100 wounded in Iranian missile strikes on southern Israel
Lorenzo Tondo
Iranian ballistic missile barrages wounded about 100 people in southern Israel on Saturday, striking the cities of Arad and Dimona after air defence systems failed to intercept at least two projectiles.
Among the injured were a 12-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl, both reported to be in serious condition.
Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 reported early indications of possible fatalities, though there was no official confirmation.
Officials said at least 27 people were wounded in Dimona, including a teenager who sustained severe injuries from shrapnel. In Arad, at least 68 people were injured, including 10 in serious condition and 14 moderately hurt. The remainder were treated for lighter injuries.
A mass-casualty incident was declared at Soroka hospital in Beersheba, as emergency teams responded to multiple impact sites.
Magen David Adom’s chief executive, Eli Bin, said some people were believed to be trapped in damaged buildings in Arad. He described the scene as “an event of enormous magnitude”, adding that there were concerns for individuals who remained unaccounted for.
Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued a sharp critique of what he described as a resurging “colonial approach” toward developing nations on Saturday, specifically citing the recent removal of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the war in Iran.
Speaking at a forum in Colombia involving delegates from Africa and the CELAC summit, Lula questioned the legitimacy of current US regional maneuvers. “It’s not possible for someone to think that they own other countries,” he said. “What are they doing with Cuba now? What did they do with Venezuela? Is that democratic?”
Lula also drew a direct parallel between the US-Israeli military campaign in Iran and the 2003 Iraq War. “Iran has been invaded under the pretext that Iran was building a nuclear bomb. Where are Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons? Where are they? Who found them?” he asked.
The Brazilian leader reminded the assembly that every nation present had a history of being plundered for its natural wealth. He accused modern global powers of attempting to seize control of critical minerals and rare earth deposits under a new guise of dominance.
“After taking everything we had, now they want to own the critical minerals and rare earths that we have,” Lula warned. “They want to colonize us again.”
Morgan Ofori
The foreign secretary has condemned Iran’s strikes on a joint US-UK military base on the island of Diego Garcia, while stressing the UK has “taken a different position from the US and Israel” on the conflict.
Yvette Cooper said ministers wanted to see a swift resolution to the war, adding the government was supporting defensive action against the “reckless Iranian threats”.
Iran fired the missiles after warning that British lives were “in danger” after the prime minister authorised the US to carry out further strikes from British bases.
Tehran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the Chagos island but neither hit, the Iranian news agency Mehr reported.
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Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on social media responding to the Iranian strikes that tore through southern Israel on Saturday, leaving around 100 people wounded across Dimona and Arad.
“This is a very difficult evening in the campaign for our future. Just a short while ago, I spoke with the Mayor of Arad, Yair Maayan, and asked him to convey, on behalf of all Israeli citizens, our prayers for the peace of the injured,” Netanyahu wrote.
He continued: “I have instructed the Director General of my office to provide all the necessary assistance together with all government ministries. I strengthen the emergency and rescue forces operating in the field right now, and I call on everyone to heed the instructions of the Home Front Command.”
“We are determined to continue to strike our enemies on all fronts.”
Israeli Air Force investigating failure to intercept missile
Lorenzo Tondo
The Israeli Air Force has opened an investigation into its failure to intercept a ballistic missile that struck the southern city of Arad shortly before.
The missile is believed to have carried a conventional warhead containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives. It left dozens injured and caused widespread damage across the area.
Israel’s Home Front Command has also launched a parallel inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the impact.
Both the Air Force and Home Front Command are examining an earlier strike in the nearby city of Dimona, where dozens more people were reported injured.
Among the injured, seven are said to be in serious condition and 15 in moderate condition, while 42 others sustained minor injuries. Emergency teams are continuing to search the scene for additional casualties.
The Defense Ministry of the United Arab Emirates said it intercepted three ballistic missile and eight drone attacks on Saturday.
According to a statement posted on social media, the “UAE air defences have engaged 341 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,748 UAVs,” since the escalation began.
Officials also reported casualties and injuries involving multiple nationalities, while reaffirming that the UAE remains fully prepared to counter any further threats and protect its sovereignty and security.
“A total of 160 people were also injured, with injuries ranging from minor to moderate and severe,” it said. “The Ministry of Defence affirmed that it remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats, and will firmly confront any attempts to undermine State security in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguards its national interests and capabilities.”
Lorenzo Tondo
Iranian barrages tore through southern Israel on Saturday, leaving around 100 people wounded across Dimona and Arad, among them a 5- and 12-year-old boy. The strikes inflicted extensive damage on multiple buildings, the force of the blast suggesting a conventional warhead packed with hundreds of kilograms of explosives.
In Arad, medics reported that a 5-year-old girl remained in serious condition following the impact of a ballistic missile. Emergency services from Magen David Adom said they were treating roughly dozens of people with injuries ranging from light to severe, after the strike damaged several residential structures. Footage circulating on social media appeared to capture the moment of impact, the explosion rippling through the city’s skyline
“It is an event of enormous magnitude,” said the organisation’s chief executive, describing scenes of chaos and uncertainty. “There are individuals we have lost contact with, and we fear for their safety.”
Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 reported early indications of multiple fatalities, though confirmation remained unclear. Unverified accounts suggested that one building had collapsed with people trapped inside, while another was engulfed in flames, raising fears that the toll could rise further as rescue efforts continue.
Lorenzo Tondo
At least five people are reported to have been killed and over 70 injured in the southern Israeli city of Arad following Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack.
Some reports suggest a building collapsed with people in and another is on fire.
Nine buildings are believed to have been damaged with concerns over a high number of missing and trapped people.
A large casualty incident has been declared with rescue forces and fire brigades dispatched.
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