By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
There seems to be no end to the lingering war in the Middle East on Sunday as both US and Iran have threatened to destroy each other’s vital infrastructures.
US President Donald Trump issued warning: “If Iran doesn’t fully open without threat the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”.
Significantly, Trump had earlier stated that he was winding down the military operations in the Middle East.
But after Trump’s new warning, Iran in no time reacted strongly. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that if Iran’s infrastructure is targeted, then key facilities across the region could be “irreversibly destroyed.” Iranian military officials also said they could target US-linked energy, technology and water infrastructure in the Gulf. However, Ali Mousavi, the Iranian representative to the International Maritime Organisation, said that ships not linked to “Iran’s enemies” could pass the strait by coordinating with Tehran
The Middle East conflict has entered a more volatile phase as US President Donald Trump issued a direct threat to strike Iran’s power plants if Tehran does not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded by warning that any such move would trigger retaliation against the US and its allies’ infrastructure across the Gulf. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also said that if Trump follows through on his threat, energy sites in countries hosting US bases would become “lawful” targets, and warned that the Strait of Hormuz could be completely closed.
The Iranian Army also claimed that an encroaching enemy F-15 fighter jet was engaged in Iran’s southern coastline, near Hormuz Island. The jet was intercepted and hit by surface-to-air missiles deployed by the Army’s Air Defense Force, the Army said.