President Donald Trump has threatened to attack Iran’s power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened within 48 hours in a late-night post on Saturday night.
Trump’s ultimatum arrives as he grapples with mounting pressure to secure the crucial waterway that Iran has pledged to keep closed to “enemy ships.” This decision has resulted in a surge in oil prices and a significant drop in stock markets.
“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 wrote on Truth Social.
In response to Trump’s threat, the Iranian army declared its intention to target all energy infrastructure owned by the United States in the region if Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure were attacked.
Trump’s remarks were made just a day after he had discussed “winding down” the war he initiated alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 28. At that time, the United States and Iran were engaged in nuclear negotiations.
In a social media post on Friday, Trump stated that the United States was “getting very close to achieving our objectives as we contemplate winding down our significant military efforts in the Middle East.”
Iran has declared that the Strait of Hormuz is open to all nations except the United States and its allies. Last week, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi revealed that he had received inquiries from several countries requesting safe passage for their vessels through the strait.
“This decision rests with our military,” he informed CBS, stating that a group of ships from “various countries” had been permitted to pass, though he refrained from providing further details.
“It is interesting, to say at the very least, to hear Trump talking about a major escalation, given the fact that we’ve been hearing throughout the course of the day how much damage the US has done, supposedly, to Iran’s ability to target oil tankers and vessels navigating through the strait.”
