Trump Vows Strikes on Iran's Largest Power Plant Over Hormuz Blockade

President Donald Trump warned Saturday he would order strikes on Iran's power plants — "STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST" — if Tehran does not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, escalating a four-week Middle East conflict that has already rattled global energy markets.

Trump's threat, issued in a social media post, appeared to target the Bushehr nuclear power plant, Iran's largest, which was struck in a previous U.S. operation, or the Damavand natural gas facility near Tehran. Iran's specific intended target requires verification.

Iran responded early Sunday, warning through state media that any strike on its energy infrastructure would trigger retaliatory attacks on U.S. and Israeli energy assets in the region, specifically naming information technology systems and desalination facilities.

For Treasure Coast families and businesses, the standoff carries direct economic weight. The Strait of Hormuz carries a significant share of the world's seaborne oil and liquefied natural gas, and the near-total halt in tanker traffic through the passage has already begun constraining global supply. Florida, which imports the bulk of its refined petroleum products, is particularly exposed to crude price spikes — a dynamic that would hit Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River County drivers and contractors hard if the disruption extends beyond days into weeks.

Fresh Iranian missile barrages Sunday struck the Israeli cities of Dimona and Arad, near Israel's main nuclear research center, shattering apartment buildings and injuring dozens. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured Arad and called it a "miracle" no one was killed. A separate Hezbollah strike in northern Israel killed one man, according to officials.

The 48-hour deadline Trump set on Saturday would expire Monday. No congressional authorization for expanded strikes had been announced as of Sunday, and Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, had not issued a public statement on the ultimatum.

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