Iranian officials and state media have vowed retaliation across the region if US President Donald Trump carries out a threat to bomb Iran’s power plants.
Trump said Saturday he would order the bombardment if the Strait of Hormuz was not fully open to shipping within 48 hours.
On Friday, the US president said American operations in the Middle East were beginning to wind down, but his subsequent warnings and Iran’s response suggest more civilian facilities across the region could be targeted in the week ahead.
Critical infrastructure and energy facilities in the Middle East could be “irreversibly destroyed” should Iranian power plants be targeted, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said in comments posted on X on Sunday. Qalibaf said regional infrastructure would become “legitimate targets” should Iran’s facilities be hit, and that its retaliation would increase the price of oil for a long while.
Iran’s semi-official Mehr News published a map of power plants in the Gulf, warning: “Say goodbye to electricity,” should Trump carry out his threat. “In the event of even the smallest attack on Iran’s electrical infrastructure, the entire region will be plunged into darkness … 70% to 80% of major power plants are along the Persian Gulf coast … all within Iran’s deterrence range,” it said.
The Nournews Agency, affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Trump’s threat was not a display of strength but exposed US vulnerabilities despite its claims of energy independence.
“Any escalation would trigger Iran’s multi-layered retaliation, targeting regional assets and causing broader economic, social, and environmental crises,” it said.
In another example of the defiant rhetoric coming from Tehran, the commander of Iran’s armed forces headquarters said: “The doctrine of our armed forces has changed from defensive to offensive. New surprises are on the way.”–CNN
