Photograph: Amit Elkayam/The New York TimesThe Middle East energy wars are on the cusp of a dangerous escalation, with potentially catastrophic consequences. Iran has responded to president Donald Trump’s 48-hour ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping with a series of counter threats. Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that critical infrastructure and energy facilities in the Middle East could be “irreversibly destroyed” if the US attacks Iranian power plants. The crisis surrounding Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz has created a global economic crisis, causing surging energy prices across the world. More than 1,500 people have been killed in Iran since the war began three weeks ago, state broadcaster IRIB reported on Saturday.

Source: The Irish Times March 22, 2026 20:39 UTC