March 22, 2026, a U.S. Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber takes off from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, while U.S. Air Force (USAF) forces are stationed there, amid ongoing conflict between the United States and Israel with Iran. [Reuters/Toby Shepheard]

Iran on Sunday threatened to immediately "completely close" the Strait of Hormuz, crucial for its oil and other exports, if the United States acts on President Donald Trump's threat to attack Iranian power plants.

President Trump had demanded late Saturday that the strait be opened within 48 hours.

Iran claims to have effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to other parts of the world, and allows safe passage for ships from countries that are not its adversaries.

Furthermore, Iran warned that it is prepared to attack major desalination plants across the Middle East within days, which could lead to water shortages affecting global markets.

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, stated on X that if Iran's power plants and infrastructure are attacked, then critical infrastructure throughout the region, including energy and desalination facilities essential for the water supply of Gulf countries, would also be considered legitimate targets and would be "irreparably destroyed."

Qalibaf later added, "Entities that support the military budget of the United States are legitimate targets."

Fox News reported that claims have already been made about attacks on several desalination plants, including one on Iran's Qeshm Island and another in Bahrain.

President Trump said that if Iran does not open the strait, the United States will "destroy multiple Iranian power plants, starting with the biggest one."

It was also pointed out that if power systems are blown up as Trump predicted, this could lead to blackouts, paralyzing water treatment and drainage systems.

Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Middle East Security Initiative, told Fox News, "The Iranian people will not revolt even if they are deprived of water or electricity."

She added, "The reality is that the Islamic Republic of Iran would rather watch the country burn than show weakness when faced with an existential threat."

The United States has claimed that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps controls a significant portion of the country's infrastructure and uses it for war efforts.

The Associated Press reported that, according to experts, power plants that benefit civilians can only be targeted under international law if the military advantage gained outweighs the suffering caused.

According to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, Iran's ambassador to the UN stated in a letter to the UN Security Council that attacking power plants is "inherently indiscriminate and manifestly disproportionate acts" and constitutes a war crime.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, March 21st, Iran launched a large-scale missile attack targeting Dimona and Arad in Israel's southern Negev Desert, where nuclear facilities are located.

Iran announced that this attack was in retaliation for Israel's earlier airstrike on Natanz, a key uranium enrichment facility in Iran.

The Israeli military stated that buildings in Dimona were hit, resulting in at least 33 injuries, including a teenage boy who was in serious condition. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that no radioactive material leakage has yet been reported from the nuclear facilities.

Immediately after Iran's attack, the Israeli military retaliated by bombing Iran's nuclear research and development center for electricity in Tehran.

NNP Representative Editor Sung Ku Hong / Special Correspondent for this newspaper NNP info@newsandpost.com