Iran is defiant after Trump threatens power plants.

A woman walks in front of a new billboard at Valiasr Square in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 22, 2026. President Donald Trump said that he would “obliterate” Iran’s electricity plants if it did not open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Iran dismissed the ultimatum as its missiles hit southern Israel, including near the country’s main nuclear research center. (Arash Khamooshi/The New York Times)

By AARON BOXERMAN and PRANAV BASKAR

Fresh threats between Iran and the United States to attack critical civilian infrastructure risked imperiling millions of people across the Middle East, as President Donald Trump warned that he could target Iranian power plants and Iran vowed that such attacks would lead to retaliation against vital energy and water facilities.

Iran dismissed Trump’s ultimatum that if the Strait of Hormuz — the vital oil shipping route choked off by Iranian strikes — was not fully reopened by Monday night, the United States would strike Iranian power plants. Iran said the strait would be “completely closed” if its energy infrastructure were attacked, as it launched new missile attacks on Israeli cities.

Iranian missiles hit Dimona, a city 8 miles away from Israel’s main nuclear facility, and the nearby city of Arad on Saturday night. More than 10 people were seriously injured and dozens more sustained minor injuries, underscoring Iran’s ability to inflict damage despite three weeks of devastating airstrikes by the United States and Israel. More than 2,000 people have been killed across the region, mostly in Iran.

The escalating threats to attack key infrastructure increased the potential for civilian danger as the war entered its fourth week.

Just days after he warned Israel against targeting Iranian energy sites to avoid an escalating cycle of counterstrikes, Trump said late Saturday that the United States would “obliterate” Iran’s power plants — which millions of Iranians depend on — within 48 hours if the strait were not reopened.

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, an Iranian military spokesperson, vowed that his country would strike infrastructure used by Israel, the United States and American allies — including desalination plants that are a lifeline for much of the Middle East.

Trump’s objectives in the conflict and his plans for next steps remained unclear. On Friday, he said that the United States did not want a ceasefire with Iran, and the Pentagon dispatched more troops and warships to the region that will not arrive for weeks, but later the president wrote on social media that he was considering “winding down” operations.

Israeli officials have told the public to expect a protracted campaign. On Saturday, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the military chief of staff, told Israelis that they were “midway through” the war with Iran and that they would still be fighting during the Passover holiday next week.

A long war of attrition could strain even Israel’s sophisticated antimissile arrays, which have faced multiple daily barrages by Iran, like the missiles that struck Saturday night.

Here’s what else to follow today:

— Nuclear infrastructure: Iran’s state broadcaster said the strike on Dimona was intended to target the nuclear facility near the city, though U.N. officials said there was no evidence it had been damaged. The Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with Iran’s security forces, said the missile was fired in retaliation for an Israeli attack on an Iranian nuclear facility in Natanz on Saturday, as well as the Bushehr nuclear power plant last week.

— Lebanon: Israel Katz, the Israeli defense minister, ordered the military to step up house demolitions in Lebanon, adding to concern that Israel could be preparing for a de facto occupation of the south of the country. Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah has displaced more than 1 million people and killed more than 1,000, according to Lebanese authorities. A person was killed in northern Israel on Sunday morning in an attack by Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group, Israeli authorities said.

— Death tolls: Iran’s U.N. ambassador has said that at least 1,348 civilians had been killed since the start of the war. On Friday, a Washington-based group, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, reported that at least 1,398 civilians had been killed. The number of Lebanese killed rose to more than 1,000, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Thursday. At least 15 people have been killed in Iranian attacks on Israel, officials have said. The American death toll stood at 13 service members.

— Qatar crash: A Qatari helicopter crashed in the Persian Gulf because of a technical malfunction during a routing operation, killing members of the Qatari and Turkish armed forces and Turkish civilians, according to the Qatar defense minister. It was not immediately known whether the crash was related to the fighting in the region.