Iran threatens to strike Zionist entity’s power plants after Trump ultimatum

Iran will attack the Zionist entity’s power plants and plants supplying U.S. bases in the Gulf if President Donald Trump carries out his threat to “obliterate” Iran’s power network, the country’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement on Monday.

“The lying … U.S. President has claimed that the Revolutionary Guards intends to attack the water desalination plants and cause hardship to the people of the countries in the region,” said the statement shared on state media.

“We are determined to respond to any threat at the same level as it creates in terms of deterrence … If you hit electricity, we hit electricity.”

On Saturday, Trump warned that Iranian power plants would be destroyed if Tehran failed to “fully open” the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping within 48 hours. Trump set a Monday deadline of around 7:45 p.m. EDT (2345 GMT).

Trump’s warning came less than a day after he signalled the United States might be considering winding down the conflict, even as U.S. Marines and heavy landing craft were heading to the region.

While attacks on electricity could hurt Iran, they could be catastrophic for its Gulf neighbours, which consume around five times as much power per capita.

Electricity makes their gleaming desert cities habitable, in part by powering the desalination plants that produce 100% of the water consumed in Bahrain and Qatar. Such plants use seawater to meet more than 80% of drinking water needs in the United Arab Emirates, and 50% of the water supply in Saudi Arabia.