What we know on day 23 of the US and Israel’s war with Iran

James Legge, CNNSun, March 22, 2026 at 2:36 PM UTC

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An Israeli soldier uses a torch to inspect the damage after Iranian missile barrages struck Dimona, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in southern Israel on Saturday. - Ilan Assayag/Reuters

Iran has vowed a heavy retaliation if US President Donald Trump carries out a threat to bomb Iran’s power plants, with Tehran warning that critical infrastructure across the region may be “irreversibly destroyed.”

Trump said he would order the bombardment if the Strait of Hormuz was not fully open to shipping within 48 hours, as disruption of the key waterway continues.

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Here are the latest developments:

What are the main headlines? -

Strike threat: US President Donald Trump threatened to “hit and obliterate” Iran’s power plants if Tehran doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for the world’s energy resources, within 48 hours. The threat marks an escalation in rhetoric from Trump, who’s previously dangled the option of hitting Iranian infrastructure but cautioned it would impair the country’s ability to rebuild. It’s also a tacit acknowledgement that the strait’s closure provides Iran significant leverage.

Iran’s response: Prompted by Trump’s words, Iranian officials and state media vowed retaliation if that were to happen. Critical ⁠infrastructure ⁠and energy facilities in the ⁠Middle ​East could ⁠be “irreversibly destroyed” should Iranian ​power plants be targeted, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad ⁠Baqer Qalibaf said in comments posted ​on X on Sunday.

Israel hit: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Tehran for targeting a civilian area as he visited the scene of an Iranian strike on the southern Israeli city of Arad. At least 84 people were injured, including 10 seriously, in the strike Saturday. A separate Iranian missile also hit the city of Dimona, injuring several and destroying a small building.

Helicopter crash: Seven people on board a helicopter in Qatar were killed when it crashed Sunday morning, according to the country’s Interior Ministry. Qatar’s foreign ministry said three Turkish nationals were on the aircraft.

US-UK base targeted: The UK denounced what it called “Iran’s reckless attacks” after missiles were fired toward the Indian Ocean military base of Diego Garcia. The joint US-UK base is about 3,800km (2,360 miles) from Iran and can accommodate long-range American bombers. The attempt has renewed questions about Tehran’s military capabilities and how far its missiles can reach.

Civilians look upon the remains of a residential and commercial building on Saturday in the Shahrak-e Gharb neighbourhood of Tehran, Iran. - Majid Saeedi/Getty Images Europe/Getty ImagesWhat’s happening in Iran and Lebanon? -

Waves of Israeli strikes: The Israeli military says it launched simultaneous “wide-scale” waves of strikes on Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon this weekend, hitting more than 200 targets. In Iran, the Israel Defense Forces said it struck dozens of compounds storing weapons and ballistic missiles. It also said it completed two waves of strikes in Beirut and additional areas in Lebanon, hitting “key Hezbollah command centers.”

Israel: Police officers and bomb disposal experts are working to secure and isolate “impact sites of munitions” in central Israel, police said Sunday. It came just hours after Iranian strikes on the Israeli cities of Arad and Dimona.

Rising toll: In Iran, more than 18,000 civilians have been injured and more than 1,330 people – including at least 200 children – have been killed since the start of the war three weeks ago, according to the latest figures from the Iranian Red Crescent and Iran’s UN ambassador. In Lebanon, more than 1,000 people have lost their lives, according to the country’s health ministry, and more than 1 million have been displaced.

Crackdown: Iranian authorities have arrested 25 people for “spreading rumors, filming damages, and sending them to anti-revolutionary networks,” the state-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported. The arrests come days after Iran executed three men in connection with nationwide anti-regime protests that took place at the start of the year.

In this file photo, cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, are seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, on March 11. - Stringer/ReutersWhat’s the latest in the Strait of Hormuz? -

Hormuz comments: The Strait of Hormuz remains open to all except Iran’s “enemies,” the country’s representative to the UN maritime agency said in remarks published on Sunday shortly after US President Donald Trump gave Tehran 48 hours to open the waterway.

Protecting safe passage: The United Arab Emirates and Australia are the latest countries to express their willingness to contribute to efforts to ensure safe navigation of the Strait of Hormuz, joining a statement which now has 22 participating nations. It was not immediately clear what the efforts to secure the crucial waterway would look like.

Blast reported: An unknown projectile caused an explosion “in close proximity” to a bulk carrier off the central northern coast of the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said early Sunday. “All crew are reported safe,” it added. Since the war began, Iran has hit several ships in the strait, from US-friendly nations.

History repeats: Suggestions of US Navy ships escorting oil tankers through the strait bring to mind the so-called Tanker War of the late 1980s, which involved some of the same weapons – and problems – a US escort force would face today. It provides lessons in how, in war, things can go wrong quickly in unexpected ways – with deadly consequences.

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Source: “AOL Breaking”