KUALA LUMPUR — US President Donald Trump threatened Saturday to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants 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 wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, a Bernama-Anadolu Ajansi report said.
Trump’s deadline would be late Monday, given that he posted the threat at 7.44 pm US Eastern Time.
He did not specify which plant he was referring to as the largest.
The threat marks a significant escalation in his rhetoric, after he previously told PBS he deliberately avoided targeting power plants in Tehran because it would cause years of damage and “trauma” to the civilian population.
In response to Trump’s ultimatum, Iran on Sunday threatened 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, the body overseeing Iranian military operations, said in a statement reported by Fars News Agency.
The Strait of Hormuz, where around 20 million barrels of oil must pass through, has been effectively disrupted since early March, following US-Israeli strikes on Iran which began on February 28.
World oil prices are now higher and the tripartite strikes have escalated into a broader regional conflict.
Trump’s call for other countries to help secure the strait had earlier been met with reluctance, but as of yesterday, the leaders of 22 countries expressed readiness to support such efforts to ensure safe navigation of ships carrying much-needed oil.
The countries include the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Denmark, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Romania, Bahrain, Lithuania and Australia.
In their joint statement, their leaders condemned recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels and civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas installations, as well as the de facto closure of the strategic waterway.
“We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning,” the statement read.
“We call on Iran to cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping, and to comply with the United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 2817.
“Freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international law, including under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” the statement read.
The countries also called for an immediate comprehensive moratorium on attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas installations.
“We welcome the International Energy Agency decision to authorise a coordinated release of strategic petroleum reserves. We will take other steps to stabilise energy markets, including working with certain producing nations to increase output.”
“Maritime security and freedom of navigation benefit all countries. We call on all states to respect international law and uphold the fundamental principles of international prosperity and security,” it stated. – March 22, 2026