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Iran Minister Says US, Israeli Strikes Caused 'Heavy Damage' to Water, Energy Infrastructure

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)
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Iran Minister Says US, Israeli Strikes Caused 'Heavy Damage' to Water, Energy Infrastructure

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)

Iran's critical water and energy infrastructure have suffered extensive damage due to US and Israeli strikes on tens of thousands of civilian sites, officials said on Sunday.

Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran on February 28, killing the Islamic republic's supreme leader and sparking a war that has since spread across the Middle East.

"The country's vital water and electricity infrastructure has suffered heavy damage following terrorist and cyber attacks by the United States and the Zionist regime," said energy minister Abbas Aliabadi, according to ISNA news agency, AFP reported.

"The attacks targeted dozens of water transmission and treatment facilities and destroyed parts of critical water supply networks," he noted, adding that efforts were under way to repair the damage.

Iran's Red Crescent chief Pirhossein Kolivand said the total number of damaged civilian sites "has reached 81,365 based on the latest field assessments".

He said the figure includes residential and commercial units, schools, medical centers and vehicles.

"Behind every damaged unit stands a family, a life, a memory, a livelihood, and a future that has collapsed beneath the rubble of war and violence," he added.

AFP has not been able to access sites or verify the figures outside of the Iranian capital, but journalists in Tehran have reported damage to multiple residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure.

More than 1,200 Iranians have been killed in US and Israeli strikes, according to the latest toll from Iran's health ministry on March 8, which could not be independently verified.

On Sunday, ISNA news agency reported that strikes had damaged a hospital in the southern city of Ahvaz, in Khuzestan province.

Other media, including Fars news agency, showed images of rescuers pulling bodies from the rubble of destroyed buildings in the northern city of Tabriz.

It was not immediately clear when those strikes took place.

Earlier on Sunday, US President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran's power plants if it failed to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.

Traffic through the vital strait -- through which 20 percent of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes -- has been brought to a near-standstill since the start of the war.

Iranian forces have attacked multiple vessels, saying they failed to heed "warnings" against transiting the waterway.

In recent days, Iran has allowed some vessels from countries it considers friendly to pass, while warning it would block ships from countries it says have joined the "aggression" against it.

In response to Trump, Iran threatened to target energy infrastructure and desalination plants across the region.

 

 

 

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World

London Police Probe Attack on Jewish Ambulances as Hate Crime

Firefighters work at the scene after four ambulances were set on fire, in northwest London, Britain, March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
Firefighters work at the scene after four ambulances were set on fire, in northwest London, Britain, March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
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London Police Probe Attack on Jewish Ambulances as Hate Crime

Firefighters work at the scene after four ambulances were set on fire, in northwest London, Britain, March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
Firefighters work at the scene after four ambulances were set on fire, in northwest London, Britain, March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

London's police said they are investigating an "arson attack" as an antisemitic hate crime after volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organization were set on fire on Monday.

The London Fire Brigade said it was alerted to vehicles on fire at Highfield Court in Golders Green at 1:40 am.

Firefighters called to the scene found that multiple cylinders on the vehicles had exploded, breaking windows in an adjacent block.

London's Metropolitan Police said the burnt vehicles were four Hatzalah ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance service, AFP reported.

"Officers remain on scene and the arson attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime," police said in a statement.

No injuries have been reported and all the fires have been put out, police added.

"We know this incident will cause a great deal of community concern and officers remain on scene to carry out urgent enquiries," superintendent Sarah Jackson said.

"We are in the process of examining CCTV and are aware of online footage. We believe we are looking for three suspects at this early stage," she said, adding that no arrest has been made.

Nearby houses were evacuated as a precaution and road closures remained in place.

London Fire Brigade said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

World

Israel Launches New Wave of Attacks on Tehran

A motorist rides past the dummy models of Iranian missiles installed along the roadside at the Valiasr Square, in Tehran on March 22, 2026. (AFP)
A motorist rides past the dummy models of Iranian missiles installed along the roadside at the Valiasr Square, in Tehran on March 22, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel Launches New Wave of Attacks on Tehran

A motorist rides past the dummy models of Iranian missiles installed along the roadside at the Valiasr Square, in Tehran on March 22, 2026. (AFP)
A motorist rides past the dummy models of Iranian missiles installed along the roadside at the Valiasr Square, in Tehran on March 22, 2026. (AFP)

Israel launched a new wave of attacks early Monday against Tehran and a top American commander told Iranians to remain in shelters for the foreseeable future, while Iran renewed strikes on its Gulf neighbors.

As Iran continues its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump gave a 48-hour deadline for Tehran to open the strategic waterway to all ships, saying that otherwise the United States would “obliterate” Iran’s power plants. Trump posted the threat to social media early Sunday in Middle East time zones.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said Monday that if the US did that, Iran would respond by hitting power plants in all areas that supply electricity to American bases, “as well as the economic, industrial and energy infrastructures in which Americans have shares.”

“Do not doubt that we will do this,” the Guard said in a statement read on Iranian state television.

As Israel hit the Iranian capital, the military said it had “begun a wide-scale wave of strikes” on infrastructure targets in Tehran without immediately elaborating.

United States Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper claimed in an interview aired Monday that Iran was launching missiles and drones from populated areas, and suggested those areas would be targeted.

“You need to stay inside for right now,” Cooper told Iranian civilians in the interview with the Farsi-language satellite network Iran International aired early Monday.

“There will be a clear signal at some point, as the president has indicated, for you to be able to come out.”

Air defenses in the United Arab Emirates intercepted a ballistic missile near the Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, and one person on the ground was injured when hit with shrapnel.

Warning sirens sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait, while Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said it had intercepted a missile targeting Riyadh, and had destroyed drones over the Kingdom’s Eastern Region.

Oil prices up more than 50% since start of the war

Oil prices remained stubbornly high in early trading, with the price of Brent crude, the international standard at around $112 a barrel, up nearly 55% since Israel and the US started the war on Feb. 28 by attacking Iran.

The war has also caused wild fluctuations in global stock markets as traders grow increasingly concerned about a world energy crisis and other issues.

In addition to targeting Israel and American bases, Iran has been hitting the energy infrastructure of its Gulf Arab neighbors.

It also has a tight grip on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which leads from the Gulf toward the open ocean and through which a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped, along with other important commodities.

A trickle of ships has been getting through the strait and Iran insists it remains open — just not to the US, Israel or their allies. On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi blamed the US for the problem facing everyone, saying that the attack on Iran made insurance companies shut down shipping through the strait for fear of having to pay large claims if tankers were damaged or destroyed.

Iran has said it will completely close the critical waterway if Trump follows through with the threat to attack Iranian power plants.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf also said Iran would then consider vital infrastructure across the region legitimate targets.

US commander says campaign against Iran is “ahead or on plan” In his first one-on-one interview since the war started, Adm. Cooper said the campaign against Iran is “ahead or on plan” and that the US and Israel were targeting infrastructure and manufacturing facilities to destroy Iran’s capabilities to rebuild its military.

“It’s not just about the threat today,” he said. “We’re eliminating the threat of the future, both in terms of the drones, the missiles as well as the navy.”

He suggested Iran could bring a quick end to the war if it stopped firing back, though did not say whether that would prompt Israel and the US to relent before all infrastructure targets have been destroyed.

“They could stop this war right now, absolutely, if they chose to do so,” he said of Iran. “They need to stop putting the wonderful Iranian people at risk by firing missiles and drones from inside populated areas. ... They need to stop immediately attacking civilians throughout the Middle East region.”

Iran’s death toll in the war has surpassed 1,500, its health ministry has said. In Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian strikes. More than a dozen civilians in the occupied West Bank and Gulf Arab states have been killed in strikes.

In Lebanon, authorities say Israeli strikes targeting Iran-linked Hezbollah have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than 1 million. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel.

World

Officials: Torrential Rains in Kenya Kill 81 in March

Officials: Torrential Rains in Kenya Kill 81 in March
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Officials: Torrential Rains in Kenya Kill 81 in March

Officials: Torrential Rains in Kenya Kill 81 in March

Torrential storms that have triggered flash floods in Kenya have killed at least 81 people this month, authorities said Sunday, as rain continued to pound much of the country.

"The cumulative number of fatalities has unfortunately risen to 81," national police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga said in a statement.

"Additionally, flash floods have swept through several areas, displacing approximately 2,690 families and causing widespread destruction of infrastructure and property."

The capital Nairobi is the hardest-hit region, with 37 people killed, he said.

On Friday night, authorities called on residents to evacuate several slum neighborhoods downstream from the Nairobi dam, warning of an imminent risk of flooding as rising water levels threatened to breach the dam embankment, according to local media.

The dam has held so far.

Two people drowned overnight in floods in the town of Kiambu, just outside the capital, police told AFP.

Two also died as landslides hit the western village of Kasaka, burying numerous homes, reported private broadcaster Citizen TV.

The rain is forecast to continue until Tuesday.

Authorities called for "extreme caution".

The March rains have repeatedly turned Nairobi streets to raging rivers, flooding thousands of homes and businesses.

Critics have called for the resignation of Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, who had vowed to improve the capital's drainage and road infrastructure when he took office in 2022.

Scientists say human-caused climate change is increasing the probability, length and severity of extreme weather events.

Studies indicate east Africa has been hit by more extreme rains and droughts over the past two decades.