Trump Issues Ultimatum as Both Sides Stand Firm; Middle East Civilian Infrastructure Faces "Life-or-Death" Situation

After Trump issued a 48-hour “ultimatum” to Iran over the weekend, Iran quickly warned in its response that if Trump takes action, they will attack energy and water infrastructure in the Middle East region.

On Saturday evening (March 21) Eastern Time, Trump wrote on his social media that Iran has 48 hours to fully open the Strait of Hormuz, or the U.S. will “strike and destroy” Iran’s power plants, emphasizing that they will “start with the largest one.”

In the early hours of March 22 local time, Iran’s armed forces’ Hatam Anbia Central Command stated that if Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure are attacked by enemies, Iran will retaliate by attacking all energy, information technology, and seawater desalination facilities in the Middle East that belong to the U.S. and Israel, in accordance with previous warnings.

Based on Trump’s timing, the 48-hour deadline will roughly end around 7:45 p.m. Eastern Time on March 23, which is 7:45 a.m. Beijing Time on March 24.

Both sides exchange threats from afar

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf took a tougher stance, writing on social media that if Iran’s power plants are attacked, critical infrastructure and energy facilities in the Middle East could be “irreversibly destroyed.”

Today (March 23), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement reaffirming that if Iran’s power grid is attacked, Iran will retaliate tit-for-tat, targeting Israeli power plants and those supplying electricity to U.S. military bases in the Middle East.

On the U.S. side, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Michael Wallz, defended Trump’s threat yesterday, stating that the IRGC controls most of Iran’s infrastructure and uses these facilities to support its military operations.

He further emphasized, “The President is absolutely not joking.”

Potential catastrophic consequences

Since the Gulf region heavily relies on seawater desalination facilities for drinking water, Iran’s threat has raised concerns among local residents about the possible large-scale disruption of water supplies.

While attacks on Iran’s power system could harm Iran itself, they might cause more disastrous consequences for neighboring Gulf countries’ economies and daily life. These countries have about five times the per capita electricity consumption of Iran, and power-driven desalination plants are the backbone of water supply in Middle Eastern desert cities.

In Bahrain and Qatar, 100% of drinking water depends on seawater desalination; the UAE meets over 80% of its drinking water needs through desalination; and in Saudi Arabia, desalination accounts for 50% of water supply.

With only 20 hours left of the 48-hour ultimatum, how the situation will develop remains to be seen.

(Source: Cailian Press)