Emirates Iran War
A cargo ship carrying vehicles sails through the Arabian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz in the United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 22, 2026.
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President Donald Trump has warned that the U.S. will “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it doesn’t fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, prompting Tehran to say it would respond to any such strike with attacks on U.S. and Israeli energy and infrastructure assets. Iranian missiles, meanwhile, struck two communities in southern Israel late Saturday, leaving buildings shattered and dozens injured in dual attacks not far from Israel’s main nuclear research center. The developments signaled the war was moving in a dangerous new direction at the start of its fourth week.
President Donald Trump is cycling through what seems to be an increasingly desperate list of options as he searches for a solution to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. After trying diplomacy, he's now threatening Iran’s civilian power grid. On Saturday, he said he was giving Iran 48 hours to open the vital waterway or face strikes on major power plants. Critics in Congress say he has no clear plan and is panicking. Legal experts say attacks on power plants could qualify as war crimes. Trump aides defend the threat as leverage to force Iran to back down.
President Donald Trump has paused military pressure on Iran by extending his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and delaying strikes on Iranian power plants for another five days. Trump said the US has been negotiating with a “respected” Iranian leader but Iran denies any talks and said Trump is backing down after their warnings and hoping to reassure financial markets with “fakenews.” Oil prices did decrease and stocks jumped, but markets remain uneasy. Meanwhile Trump said any deal must involve ending Iran’s nuclear capacity by allowing the U.S. to take its enriched uranium.
