Washington, United States. President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to strike Iran’s power plants unless Tehran restores full freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, as the US-Israeli war on Iran entered its fourth week.
48-hour ultimatum issued on Truth Social
Trump said the United States would act if Iran did not open the Strait of Hormuz. “If Iran doesn’t fully open without a 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 at 23:44 GMT.
Iran warns of retaliation against US energy infrastructure
Iran’s army warned it would target all US energy infrastructure in the region if Iran’s fuel and energy facilities were attacked, according to the source text.
Pressure increases over key shipping route
The warning came as Trump faced growing pressure to secure the waterway after Iran said it would keep the strait closed to what it called “enemy ships”, sending oil prices higher and stocks lower.
Iran has said the strait remains open to all shipping except vessels linked to hostile states. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last week he had been approached by several countries seeking safe passage for their ships and said the matter would be decided by Iran’s military.
Comments follow talk of winding down war
Trump’s threat came less than a day after he spoke about winding down the war he launched alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 28, while the United States and Iran had been engaged in nuclear talks. Reuters reported on Friday that Trump had said the US was getting close to meeting its objectives in the war and was considering winding down military operations in the Middle East.
US Central Command cites damage to Iranian capabilities
The head of US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, said on Saturday that Iran’s ability to attack shipping in the strait had been degraded after US fighter jets dropped 5,000-pound bombs on an underground coastal site used to store anti-ship cruise missiles and mobile launchers. He said the strikes also destroyed intelligence sites and radar relays used to track vessel movements.
Strait of Hormuz remains central to conflict
The Strait of Hormuz has become the central pressure point in the conflict. Around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas moves through the waterway in peacetime, but traffic has fallen sharply since the early days of the war, according to Reuters.
How could further restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz affect you through changes in oil and gas prices?