TEHRAN: Israeli strikes hit Iran’s largest petrochemical complex Monday, as the Islamic republic defied threats from US President Donald Trump to devastate civilian infrastructure if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
A separate Israeli strike also killed a senior Revolutionary Guards commander, while Iran launched drone and missile attacks against Israel, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran said “much more devastating” attacks would come if Trump followed through on his threat to hit civilian targets.
The US leader had on Sunday threatened to destroy Iranian bridges and power plants if Tehran does not bow to his demand to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping by Tuesday 8:00 pm (0000 GMT Wednesday).
Iran has all but blocked Hormuz, a vital energy chokepoint, sending oil and gas prices soaring and pushing countries around the world to enact measures to contain the fallout.
In a stark, expletive-laden social media post on Sunday, Trump demanded: “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell.” On Monday, Israel said it had struck Iran’s largest petrochemical facility in Assaluyeh on Iran’s Gulf coast, where local media reported multiple explosions.
The site accounted for about 50 percent of the country’s petrochemical production worth “tens of billions of dollars”, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said.
Ahead of the latest strikes, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Hormuz “will never return to its former status, especially for the US and Israel”.
The Guards posted on Telegram Monday that their intelligence chief Majid Khademi had been killed at dawn in US-Israeli strikes.
“We will reach anyone who seeks to harm us,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, after Katz confirmed the country’s military was behind the strike.
Israel’s defence ministry also said it would ramp up production of Arrow missile interceptors, part of the country’s multi-layered air defences.
While the violence continued to spiral, reports surfaced of a potential push to halt the fighting.
Citing US, Israeli and regional sources, US news website Axios said a deal mediated by Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey for a 45-day ceasefire to allow for negotiations on a more permanent peace was under discussion.
American Dollar Exchange Rate