US President Donald Trump has threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz – the chokepoint that carries around a fifth of the world’s oil supply – for shipping traffic. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, set a 48-hour deadline for Tehran to “fully reopen” the Hormuz from the “exact point in time”. LIVE UPDATES
He posted the Truth at 5:14 am (IST), giving Tehran time till Tuesday morning.
“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!” he said.
Responding to Trump’s ultimatum, the Iranian military threatened to target all energy, technology, and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US in the region.
“Following previous warnings, if Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure is violated by the enemy, all energy, information technology, and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the regime in the region will be targeted,” the Iranian military’s operational command Khatam Al-Anbiya said, reported news agency AFP.
The threats come as a dramatic escalation barely a day after Trump talked about “winding down” the war.
Strait of Hormuz closure
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz for the majority of the shipping traffic, especially for those countries involved in attacks against Iran, since the US-Israel’s joint strikes on Tehran on February 28. Around a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the strait. The closure is forcing countries reliant on the shipping lane to scramble for alternative routes and tap reserves. It has also sent crude oil prices soaring, threatening governments with widespread inflation the longer the war continues.
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Many countries, including the UK, France, Italy, Germany, South Korea, Australia, the UAE, and Bahrain, have condemned the “de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces.”
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf had earlier warned that “the Strait of Hormuz won’t return to its pre-war status”.
“Even in the best-case scenario, going back to a fully reopened status is several months away. There’s unexploded ordnance floating around. There may be minefields, and there’s going to be nervous security forces on either side,” Luckyn-Malone said.
Attack on nuclear facilities
Amid the escalating situation, Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility was hit in an airstrike on Saturday – the second time since the beginning of the war. No radiation leakage was reported, the official Iranian news agency, Mizan, reported. The site was earlier hit in the first week of the war, and several buildings appeared to be damaged, satellite images showed.
In a tit-for-tat move, Iran launched a missile strike on Israeli towns of Dimona, home to a nuclear facility, and Arad, injuring over 100 people.
According to the Israeli army, there had been a “direct missile hit on a building” in Dimona, reported AFP.
