U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press earlier than departing the White Home for Miami on March 20, 2026, in Washington, D.C.
Celal Gunes | Anadolu | Getty Photographs
Because the struggle within the Center East entered its fourth week, Iran has widened its warnings to focus on patrons of U.S. Treasury bonds, the most recent salvo in an intensifying alternate of threats, because the Trump administration’s 48-hour ultimatum neared expiry.
In a social media publish on Sunday, Iran’s Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf mentioned that U.S.-linked monetary establishments holding American authorities bonds could be focused alongside navy bases.
“U.S. treasury bonds are soaked in Iranians’ blood. Buy them, and you buy a strike in your HQ and property,” Ghalibaf mentioned. “Alongside navy bases, these monetary entities that finance the U.S. navy finances are professional targets,” he added within the publish.
The escalating warning got here after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Tehran on Saturday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — a key artery for world vitality transport — or face strikes on its energy vegetation. The deadline is about to run out on Monday night in Washington.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to again the U.S. menace: “No matter we do, we do collectively, and so far as doable, in confidence.”
Talking on the website of an Iranian missile assault within the southern metropolis of Arad on Sunday, Netanyahu known as on world leaders to affix the struggle efforts, together with the European nations. “They’ve the capability to succeed in deep into Europe … they’re placing everybody of their sights.”
Iran has pushed again, threatening to utterly shut the waterway and assault vitality infrastructure and desalination amenities within the Gulf if the U.S. follows via on its ultimatum.
Ghalibaf warned on Sunday that any U.S. or Israeli strike on Iran’s energy vegetation would “instantly” set off retaliatory assaults on vitality and oil infrastructure throughout the area, inflicting “irreversible” harm.
“Crucial infrastructure and vitality and oil infrastructure all through the area might be thought-about professional targets and irreversibly destroyed, and oil costs will rise for a very long time,” Ghalibaf mentioned on X.
No off-ramp in sight
Army hostilities continued to accentuate over the weekend, with experiences suggesting that Israel has been experiencing intense missile exercise, triggering a number of alerts for individuals to take shelter within the Jerusalem and central Israel areas. Not less than eight areas, primarily throughout central Israel, have been hit by falling particles or explosives, in accordance with Al Jazeera.
On Monday, the Israeli navy mentioned that it had begun a wide-scale wave of strikes concentrating on Iranian infrastructure in Tehran, with experiences of explosions in a number of components of the capital early Monday morning.
Iran has continued to fireplace missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf nations internet hosting U.S. property. Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates mentioned Monday that their air defenses have intercepted extra hostile missile and drone assaults from Iran, with air raid sirens sounding in Bahrain.
Individually, Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry mentioned it had detected two ballistic missiles fired in direction of the Riyadh space. One was intercepted, and the opposite fell into an uninhabited space, a ministry spokesperson mentioned.
Israeli and U.S. strikes have killed at the very least 1,500 individuals in Iran thus far, in accordance with the Iranian well being ministry. However the U.S.-based rights group HRANA, which tracks human rights violations in Iran, recorded 3,320 individuals killed, together with 1,406 civilians and 1,167 navy personnel.
Iran has successfully closed the Strait of Hormuz to most transport site visitors for the reason that U.S.-Israel launched strikes on the nation on Feb. 28. The escalating Mideast battle has despatched oil costs hovering in current weeks amid fears of a deepening oil provide shock, fueling inflationary worries and weighing on development.
Crude costs whipsawed in unstable buying and selling on Monday. Brent crude reversed earlier losses to achieve 0.44% to $112.68 per barrel as of 10:57 p.m. EST. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate was up 0.78% at $99 per barrel.
