The US has threatened to “obliterate” the country’s power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened within 48 hours
US President Donald Trump speaks at the US Capitol on March 17, 2026 in Washington, DC. © Alex Wong / Getty Images
[RT] US
President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iran’s power plants
unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened to shipping within 48 hours.
Iran
has kept the vital waterway closed to most shipping since February 28,
when the United States and Israel carried out their first wave of
strikes on the Islamic Republic. This disruption, combined with Iranian
strikes on oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf states, has driven up
global energy prices.
Trump issued
an ultimatum to Tehran on Saturday evening after failed attempts to
rally European countries to help restore access to the strait.
“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 president wrote on Truth Social.
Iran’s largest power plant – the
gas-powered Damavand plant – 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.
Iran’s
sole nuclear power plant 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.