US-Israel War on Iran Enters Perilous Stage as Strikes Hit Nuclear-Sensitive Sites

The US-Israel war on Iran has entered its fourth week with a dramatic and dangerous escalation on multiple fronts. President Donald Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum, threatening to ‘hit and obliterate’ Iran’s power plants if Tehran does not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that the Middle East conflict has entered a “perilous stage”, raising concern over reported strikes near nuclear-sensitive sites in both Iran and Israel. The war in the Middle East has reached a perilous stage with strikes reportedly hitting the Natanz Enrichment Complex in Iran, and the Israeli city of Dimona, where a nuclear facility is located. @iaeaorg is looking into incidents reported yesterday in southeastern Iran, and in… pic.twitter.com/gJdQd1eOqS Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on global leaders to align with Israel and the United States in their campaign against Iran, pointing to recent strikes on Israeli territory as evidence of what he described as an expanding global threat. Speaking from the site of an Iranian missile strike in Arad, Netanyahu said developments over the past 48 hours underscore that Iran’s actions are not limited to Israel but pose a risk to the broader international community. He further alleged that Iranian attacks have targeted civilian areas as well as major religious landmarks in Jerusalem, including the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israel’s military said Iran has launched more than 400 ballistic missiles since the start of the US-Israel war, with around 92 per cent of them intercepted. “We have had very high interception rates,” military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said, noting that air defence systems had successfully neutralised the vast majority of incoming missiles. Despite the high interception rate, several projectiles got through. Iranian missiles hit two towns in southern Israel on Saturday, leaving about 180 people requiring medical treatment. The UAE’s Ministry of Defence said it intercepted four ballistic missiles and 25 drones on Sunday, underscoring the continuing threat in the region. Since the conflict began, the country has brought down a total of 345 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,773 drones, according to the ministry. It added that Iranian attacks have resulted in the deaths of two soldiers and six civilians, while 160 others have been injured. The US Central Command said it had destroyed an Iranian military facility earlier this month where close-, short- and medium-range ballistic missiles were being assembled. The Iranian regime built close, short, and medium-range ballistic missiles at the Kuh-E Barjamali Ballistic Missile Assembly Facility. The first photo shows what the location looked like on March 1, 2026. The photo dated March 7, 2026 is what the buildings look like now. Out of… pic.twitter.com/uS5IKMNbWq Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a high-level review meeting to assess India’s preparedness across key sectors including petroleum, crude oil, natural gas, power and fertilisers, amid the evolving situation in the Middle East. The discussions centred on ensuring uninterrupted availability of essential resources, maintaining stable logistics networks and strengthening distribution systems nationwide. Senior officials briefed the Prime Minister on contingency plans and readiness measures to address any potential disruptions linked to geopolitical developments in the region. Israel’s Ministry of Welfare and Social Security is assisting more than 2,700 people who have been displaced from their homes following Iranian strikes, according to Israeli media reports. The figure includes around 1,000 residents who evacuated the southern cities of Arad and Dimona, which were heavily hit overnight. Earlier, Israel’s emergency services said at least 180 people from the two cities were hospitalised as a result of the attacks. A bulk carrier sailing off Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates reported an explosion caused by an unidentified projectile late on Saturday night, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The agency confirmed that all crew members on board are safe. Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has issued a stark warning, saying any attack on the country’s power plants would trigger swift retaliation against energy and oil infrastructure across the region. In a post on X, Ghalibaf said such strikes would render “critical infrastructure and energy and oil facilities” legitimate targets, warning they would be “irreversibly destroyed” and could send global oil prices surging for an extended period. The remarks come in response to a sharp escalation from Donald Trump, who on Saturday warned that the United States could target Iran’s power plants if freedom of navigation is not restored at the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Iran has now entered its 23rd day of an internet blackout, according to monitoring group NetBlocks, deepening a digital silence that has cut families off from one another. As the Persian New Year unfolds, many remain unable to make a contact with loved ones, NYT reported. Yet the blackout appears uneven. Experts told NYT that individuals linked to the authorities continue to access the internet and social media through privileged “white SIM” services—creating a stark divide between those connected and those left in the dark. Iran’s Deputy Defence Minister Reza Talaei-Nik has pushed back firmly against a US assessment that Tehran’s military strength has been weakened, projecting confidence in the country’s war footing. In remarks carried by Iranian media, Talaei-Nik said the continuation of strikes across the region demonstrates that Iran is drawing on “strategic reserves and domestic production” to sustain its operations. He pointed to decades of investment in weapons manufacturing—particularly missiles and drones—as the backbone of that capability, enabling the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to hit targets with “precision and effectiveness”. According to him, the evolution of Iran’s tactics is already visible on the battlefield. Missile barrages, drone deployments, and naval units firing cruise missiles from coastal positions, ships, and inland locations now reflect “an increase in the accuracy of hits” compared to the early phase of the conflict. Turning to a critical global chokepoint, Talaei-Nik asserted that Iranian forces effectively control security in the Strait of Hormuz—a vital corridor through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies flow.