US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz declared that he does not rule out the possibility of attacking Iranian power plants, including nuclear power plants, in the context of President Donald Trump's ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which is pushing the region into a dangerous situation.
In an interview on CBS's Face the Nation program, Mr. Waltz was asked if the Bushehr nuclear power plant - Iran's largest facility - could become a target. He replied: "I will not rule out any option.
This statement followed Mr. Trump's tough statement earlier, when he warned that he would "eliminate" Iranian power plants if Tehran does not reopen the sea route through the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. This is a strategic transport route, where most of the global oil is transshipped.
According to Mr. Waltz, not only nuclear facilities, the US may also target other large-scale gas and thermal power plants in Iran, including facilities near the capital Tehran.
All options are being put on the table," he emphasized, showing that Washington is ready to expand the scope of attacks to weaken Tehran's military and defense industry capabilities.
The Bushehr nuclear power plant, located on the Persian Gulf coast, about 1,200km from Tehran, was built with the support of Russian energy corporation Rosatom and went into operation in 2011, with a capacity of about 1,000 MW. It is a symbol of Iran's civilian nuclear energy program.
Previously, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that a warhead fell in an area about 350m from Bushehr, raising serious concerns about nuclear safety. The agency warned that attacks near nuclear facilities violate basic international safety principles. Russia also strongly condemned the incident.
In response, Iran issued an equally tough message. The country's military officials declared that they would attack energy and water facilities in Israel as well as Gulf countries if attacked. At the same time, Tehran warned that it would completely close the Strait of Hormuz to all ships, not just "rivals", if their energy facilities were targeted.
The "tit-for-tat" move between the two sides is pushing the Middle East region closer to a direct confrontation, with the risk of spreading to the energy sector - the lifeblood of the global economy.
