IRGC Warns It Will Target Israeli Power Plants and Civilian Infrastructure if Hormuz Mission Proceeds

The IRGC issued a sweeping escalation warning on May 4, 2026 — Day 66 — threatening to target Israeli power plants and civilian infrastructure supplying US military bases if the Trump administration's Hormuz escort mission proceeded as planned on May 5. The Jerusalem Post reported the threat as the IRGC's most expansive targeting warning since the April 8 ceasefire. Iranian military officials framed the threat as a legitimate counter to what they characterized as US aggression in the strait: if the US escorted vessels through what Iran now claimed as its controlled maritime zone, Iran reserved the right to strike civilian infrastructure in Israel and Gulf states that support US military operations. The threat echoed the IRGC's March 30 warning against US-affiliated university campuses and renewed fears of a second wave of Iranian strikes. Security analysts noted the warning may be part of a broader deterrence operation ahead of the May 5 escort mission: Iran was seeking to raise the political costs of the mission by threatening civilian infrastructure retaliation, making any resumption of strikes by the US far more politically costly. The IRGC also separately warned Iran was prepared for a 'long and painful' military confrontation if US forces attempted to force passage through the new Iranian control zone. The Israeli government said it was monitoring the threat and put its air defenses on elevated alert.