Unless the Strait of Hormuz is opened within 48 hours, United States President Donald Trump will “obliterate” Iran’s power plants. Iran closed the vital waterway on February 28th after Israel and the U.S. used joint strikes to attack Tehran over its diplomatic failures surrounding its nuclear program.
Trump issued the ultimatum to Tehran on Saturday evening after failed attempts to rally European countries to help restore access to the strait, likely through military force.
“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!” the ruler wrote on Truth Social, according to a report by RT.
This disruption, combined with Iranian strikes on oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf states, has driven up global energy prices.
On Friday, Iran said it would start allowing certain “vetted vessels” to pass the chokepoint and is reportedly working on a standardized process. Only certain vessels from certain countries would be allowed through. Some “pre-vetted” tankers have already sailed smoothly through the “safe” corridor, with at least one shipping company allegedly paying Iran $2 million, accoridng to a separate report posted by RT.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the strait is open to all except the US and Israel, while adding that some ships from “different countries” had already been allowed through. In practice, however, Western-linked vessels face significant hurdles in securing safe passage.
Iran only has one nuclear power plant that is in Bushehr on the Persian Gulf coast. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said earlier this week that a projectile struck a structure about 350 meters from the facility.
Iran’s largest power plant is the gas-powered Damavand plant, and it is located near Pakdasht, southeast of Tehran. Other major facilities include the Shahid Abbaspour, Karun-3, and Masjed Soleyman hydroelectric dams in Khuzestan province, as well as the Kerman thermal power plant in Kerman province.