Iran threatens to 'close' Strait and 'target' power plants - live

Iran has vowed to 'completely shut' the Strait of Hormuz and destroy Israeli and US-linked power plants in the Middle East if Donald Trump follows through on threats to 'obliterate' Tehran's energy facilities.

The US President said he would destroy the power plants - 'starting with the biggest one first' - if the Strait of Hormuz is not fully re-opened within 48 hours.

He issued the stark warning late on Saturday night - just one day after he was said to be thinking about 'winding down' the war. 

In response, Irans Revolutionary Guards said they would keep the strait 'completely shut' if the US targets Iranian energy infrastructure, adding Israeli and US energy infrastructure in the region will be 'completely destroyed'.

The threats follow a fresh wave of missile attacks launched by Tehran towards Israel amid mounting fears about the regime's ability to strike European capitals.

More than 100 people have been wounded in southern Israel after strikes on buildings in the cities of Dimona and Arad.

17:33

Irans vows to 'completely close' the Strait of Hormuz if Trump hits power plants

Iran has vowed to 'completely close' the Strait of Hormuz if Donald Trump follows through on his threats to hit the regime's power plants.

The US President said he would 'obliterate' Iranian power plants if they did not reopen the crucial passageway.

Iran has now hit back, with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps claiming they will keep it completely shut if the US targets Iranian energy infrastructure.

In a statement, they said: 'If the US threats regarding Iranian power plants are implemented, the following punitive measures will be taken immediately:

'1. The Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed and will not open until our destroyed power plants are rebuilt.

'2. All of the Israeli regime's power plants, energy infrastructure, and information technology will be widely targeted.

'3. All similar companies in the region that have American shareholders will be completely destroyed.

'4. The power plants of the countries in the region that host American bases will be our legitimate targets.

'5. Everything is ready for the great jihad aimed at the complete destruction of all American economic interests in the West Asian region.'

The strait, through which 20 per cent of global oil passes daily, has remained shut since the beginning of the conflict, spiking oil prices and sparking fears of a global economic crisis.

07:43

Trump will 'obliterate' Iran's power plants in 48 hours if Strait of Hormuz does not reopen

President Trump has threatened to destroy Iran's power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened within 48 hours.

Iran warned on Sunday it would target US energy infrastructure, if Trump carried out his threat.

Trump made the threat as US Marines and heavy landing craft continue to head to the region.

More than 2,000 people have been killed during the war the US and Israel launched on February 28, which has upended markets, spiked fuel costs, fueled global inflation fears and convulsed the postwar Western alliance.

Trump posted on social media:'If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!'

18:17

Israeli man killed by Iranian missile

An Israeli man in his 60s has been killed by an Iranian missile in the past day, according to Israel's emergency service, Magen David Adom.

The service said it has provided treatment to 164 people in the past day, 150 for physical injuries and 14 for anxiety.

Twelve people are currently in serious conditions with injuries from shrapnel and blasts.

17:45

Saudi Arabia downs Iranian drones over its territory

Saudi Arabia said it has downed nine Iranian drones over its eastern region.

The country's defence ministry said drones were shot down and intercepted on Sunday as Iran continues to attack the Kingdom.

It comes just days after Saudi threatened Iran with military action while claimed any trust with Tehran had been 'shattered' after Riyadh was targeted by ballistic missiles

In the harshest comments to come out of the Gulf kingdom since the war started, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal ​bin Farhan accused Iran of premeditated actions against its neighbours.

He said: 'This pressure from ​Iran will backfire politically and morally and certainly we reserve the right to take military actions if deemed ​necessary.

'What little trust there was before has completely been shattered,' bin Farhan said following a meeting between foreign ministers of Gulf and Arab countries in the Saudi capital.

'We're going to use every lever we have – political, economic, diplomatic and otherwise, to get these attacks to stop.'

An oil refinery in Saudi Arabia was hit on Thursday while eight ballistic missiles targeted the capital.

16:50

US is 'jiu-jitsuing' Iran by using their oil against them, treasury chief says

US treasury secretary Scott Bessent has insisted the US is 'jiu-jitsuing' Iran by 'using their own oil against them'.

It comes Iran's threats against shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global gas and oil supplies flow, have caused energy prices to spike around the world.

Mr Bessent said US sanctions on Iranian and Russian oil that had already been loaded onto ships had been temporarily lifted - in a bid to abate market turmoil.

Justifying the decision, he told NBC:

That Iranian oil was always going to be sold to the Chinese. It was going to be sold at a discount... So which is better? If oil prices spiked to $150 and they (Iran) were getting 70 percent of that, or oil prices below 100?

In essence, we are "jiu-jitsuing" the Iranians: we are using their own oil against them.

16:40

WATCH: Pope declares US-Israel war on Iran a 'scandal' to humanity

The US-Israel war on Iran is a 'scandal' to humanity, according to Pope Leo.

The pontiff said in his weekly prayer today:

I strongly renew my appeal for us to persevere in prayer, so that hostilities may cease and the way may finally be paved for peace.

16:33

IDF says it has targeted Iranian military base and weapons storage

The IDF has said it struck an Iranian military base and weapons production and storage facility in a round of overnight strikes.

In a message on Telegram, the military announced:

As part of the attacks, the Israel Defence Forces targeted sites used by security organs subordinate to the Iranian regime for the production and storage of weapons.

It added a weapons production site for the IRGC air force had also been targeted.

16:26

Iran: Strait of Hormuz will be closed to all if Trump carries out threat to strike power plants

Iran has declared it will 'completely close' the Strait of Hormuz if US President Donald Trump decides to carry out his threat to 'obliterate' the regime's power plants.

It comes after Mr Trump gave Iran 48 hours to reopen the strategic passage 'starting with the biggest one first!'.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed that should the US strike, the Strait would not be reopened 'until our destroyed power plants are rebuilt'.

16:17

Israel's attacks on Lebanon are 'prelude to ground invasion'

Lebanon's president Joseph Aoun has claimed Israel's attacks on Lebanese infrastructure in southern Lebanon are a 'prelude to a ground invasion'.

Adding the strikes were a 'clear violation' of international law, Mr Aoun called on other countries to take action to 'deter Israel'.

He said:

These attacks constitute a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.

They are a prelude to a ground invasion, which Lebanon has long warned against through diplomatic channels.

They also reflect a dangerous trend toward the systematic destruction of infrastructure, civilian facilities, and residential areas in Lebanese villages, amounting to a policy of collective punishment against civilians.

Mr Aoun went on to say the targeting of the Litani River bridges 'falls within suspicious plans to establish a buffer zone, entrench the reality of occupation, and pursue Israeli expansion into Lebanese territory'.

15:58

Three Hamas police officers dead after Israeli strikes in Gaza, Palestinian news agency reports

Palestinian media reports three dead and 10 wounded in an Israeli strike targeting a Hamas police vehicle in the central Gaza Strip, according to reports.

The dead and wounded are identified by the media reports as officers from Hamas’s Nuseirat police.

The IDF have not yet commented on the strike.

15:48

'War will end when Iranian people can topple their leader'

Israel’s ambassador in the US, Yechiel Leiter, says the war with Iran must continue until the Islamic Republic’s regime is degraded to the extent that the Iranian people can rise up and topple it.

The campaign will end, he says in an interview with CNN, when 'there is not an entity in Tehran that’s going to threaten the region.”

He said that such an outcome could come about by 'this regime having a change of heart,' though he said that is 'hard to imagine'.

15:41

'We have plenty of money to fund the war', says US Treasury Secretary, despite requesting another $200 billion in additional funding

The US government has 'plenty of money' to fund the war against Iran, but is requesting supplemental funding from Congress to ensure the military is well supplied in the future, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday.

Bessent has defended the request for additional funds, saying the funds will be used for the military's future supplies.

The US military's request for $200 billion in additional funding for the Iran war faces stiff opposition in Congress, with Democrats and even some Republicans questioning the need after large defense appropriations last year.

President Donald Trump has not yet sent a request for the Senate and House of Representatives to approve the sum and his administration has made clear that the number could change.

'We have plenty of money to fund this war,' Bessent said. 'This is supplemental. President Trump has built up the military, as he did in his first term, as he is now doing in his second term, and he wants to make sure that the military is well supplied going forward.'