President Donald Trump warned the US will “obliterate” Iranianpower plants if it does not fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Mr Trump said he is giving Iran 48 hours to open the vital waterway or face a new round of attacks. He said the US would destroy “various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”The Iranian strikes in Israel came after Tehran’s main nuclear enrichment site at Natanz was hit earlier in the day. It was the first time Iranian missiles penetrated Israel’s air defence systems in the area around the nuclear site. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said such strikes posed a “real risk of catastrophic disaster throughout the Middle East”.

Source: Irish Examiner March 22, 2026 13:11 UTC