Morning Briefing: March 22, 2026

ISTANBUL

Here is a rundown of all the news that you need to start your Sunday, including mutual threats by the US and Iran to attack each other's infrastructure and Saudi Arabia declaring the Iranian Embassy personnel persona non grata.

TOP STORIES

• Trump threatens to attack Iran's power plants if Strait of Hormuz not opened within 48 hours

US President Donald Trump threatened Saturday to "obliterate" Iran's power plants, starting with the largest, if Tehran did not open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.

"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," Trump said.

• Iran threatens to target US, Israeli infrastructure if attacked

Iran threatened Sunday to strike all US and Israeli infrastructure across the region if its facilities came under attack.

"If Iran's fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked by the enemy, all energy, information technology, and desalination infrastructure belonging to the United States and the (Israeli) regime in the region will be targeted," a spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said.

• Saudi Arabia gives Iranian military attache and 4 other embassy staffers 24 hours to leave country

Saudi Arabia has declared the Iranian military attache, assistant attache, and three other Iranian Embassy staffers persona non grata, giving them 24 hours to leave the country.

Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned Iran's attacks on the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and said it represents "a flagrant violation of all relevant international conventions, the principles of good neighborliness, and respect for state sovereignty."

Those attacks will have a "profound" impact on bilateral ties both now and in the future, the ministry said.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Natanz nuclear enrichment complex was targeted in a US-Israeli attack.
• The Israeli army said one of its aircraft was targeted by a surface-to-air missile during an “operational activity” in Iranian airspace.
• Suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels killed at least 50 people in recent attacks in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• More than 20 countries, including UAE, Bahrain, the UK, France, Germany expressed "readiness" to help secure the Strait of Hormuz shipping.
• The US and Ukrainian delegations met in the state of Florida for talks aimed at advancing a comprehensive peace agreement.
• A senior Iranian official said Tehran was not responsible for and was not behind missile attacks on the Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean.
• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it received no indication of damage to Israel's Negev Nuclear Research Center following an Iranian missile strike on the city of Dimona.
• US President Donald Trump said that Iran wants to negotiate a deal, but he is not interested.
• Illegal Israeli settlers carried out attacks on Palestinian homes, vehicles and residents in the occupied West Bank.
• At least 88 people were injured following an Iranian missile attack on the southern Israeli town of Arad near the Dead Sea.​​​​​​​
• Qatar's Defense Ministry said Sunday a helicopter suffered a "technical malfunction" during a routine mission and crashed in the country's regional waters.
• A nuclear-powered Royal Navy submarine has arrived in the Arabian Sea, positioning British forces within striking distance of Iran, the Daily Mail reported.

BUSINNESS & ECONOMY

• Iranian parliament considers imposing fees for ‘safe passage’ through Strait of Hormuz

With the Strait of Hormuz largely blocked, impacting the world economy, Iran’s parliament is preparing to pass a law that would impose fees on ships for “safe passage” through the waterway.

Citing a member of the parliament’s Economic Committee, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported Saturday that a bill has been prepared to charge vessels transiting the strategic strait.

• Iraq resumes Iranian gas supply after 3-day halt caused by Israeli attack on South Pars gas

Iraq's Electricity Ministry announced Saturday the resumption of Iranian gas supplies after a three-day halt caused by Israeli strikes on Iran’s South Pars facility.

Ministry spokesman Ahmed Mousa said: "Iranian gas pumping to Iraq resumed at a rate of 5 million cubic meters.”

He said the quantities are being restored gradually to support the national power system and boost the performance of electricity generation plants. “After the resumption of Iranian gas flows, the national grid recorded stability in production at 14,000 megawatts.”