The US-Israeli war against Iran took a more dangerous turn with attacks near nuclear sites in both Iran and Israel, while Tehran launched a strike toward a joint US-British base in the Indian Ocean about 4,000 kilometers away, signaling a longer missile range.
The escalation has pushed the conflict closer to a broader regional and global shock, threatening energy supplies, driving up prices, and raising fears of a new inflation wave as the war enters its fourth week with no sign of a settlement.
War moves closer to nuclear sites
Tehran launched a missile strike near Israel’s Dimona nuclear reactor on Saturday, injuring 39 people after shrapnel fell.
A spokesperson for Israel’s Fire and Rescue Authority said the missile destroyed a one-story building in Dimona, followed by a massive explosion.
Iranian state television said the missile attack “came in response to the enemy’s bombardment of the Natanz nuclear facility earlier on Saturday.”
Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization had said the United States and Israel launched an attack Saturday morning on the Natanz uranium enrichment facility.
Iranian missiles also hit the southern Israeli city of Arad on Saturday evening, causing severe damage to several buildings and injuring 80 people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described what happened as “a very difficult evening in the campaign for our future,” adding, “We will continue to strike our enemies on all fronts.”
Iran signals longer-range missile reach
In a new turn in the war, Iran launched long-range missiles for the first time between Thursday night and Friday morning, with a range of about 4,000 kilometers, raising the prospect of attacks beyond the Middle East.
Tehran fired two ballistic missiles toward the joint US-British military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, about 3,800 kilometers from Iran. The island hosts an air base capable of accommodating long-range US bombers.
Although the attack was unsuccessful, it suggested Iran has missile capabilities beyond those it has used against Israel or US military bases in Gulf states, raising questions about whether Tehran can strike US and European interests farther away than previously thought.
Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency said targeting the base was “a serious step by the Islamic Republic of Iran to threaten the interests of the United States and its allies beyond the borders of West Asia.”
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said “Iran’s reckless attacks across the region, while holding the Strait of Hormuz hostage, pose a threat to British interests and its allies.”
On Friday, the British government said it had granted the United States permission to use British bases for specific defensive operations “to weaken missile sites and capabilities used in attacks on ships.”
Trump gives Tehran 48-hour deadline
Trump threatened on Sunday to destroy Iranian power plants if Tehran did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. The strategic waterway was closed on March 2, the third day of the war, which has now entered its fourth week.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social, “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 hours from now, the United States will strike and destroy its power stations, starting with the largest.” The post was timestamped March 22, 1:44 am.
Iran responded on Sunday, saying it would target US infrastructure, including energy and desalination facilities in Gulf states, if Trump carried out the threat.
Ali Mousavi, Iran’s representative to the UN’s International Maritime Organization, said on Friday that the strait remained open to all ships except those linked to “Iran’s enemies.”
Ship-tracking data showed that some vessels, including Indian-flagged ships and a Pakistani oil tanker, were able to cross the strait safely.
Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya military headquarters warned that Tehran would target US energy, information technology, and water desalination infrastructure across the region if the United States attacked Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure.
The US-Israeli assault came while Washington and Tehran were holding talks that began on Feb. 6 under Omani mediation to explore the chances of reaching an agreement over Iran’s nuclear program, which the United States and Israel say they want to stop.
The current escalation marks a second wave within a few months, after Israel and Iran fought a 12-day war in June. The United States joined that conflict by launching airstrikes on Iran, saying the aim was to deter Tehran from developing its nuclear program. Iran responded by firing missiles at the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, before Trump announced the war had ended by agreement.
