The U.S war in Iran is still ongoing, with the world holding its breath on what’s next. Donald Trump is pushing to open the Strait of Hormuz and gave the Iranians an eerie ultimatum just days ago. Now, Iran has responded, and that with a terrifying threat.
The conflict in Iran is putting huge pressure on the world economy, and several countries are in the crossfire, not least because of the oil shortage. As the U.S and Israeli bombings began, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of the world’s oil passes.
It has led to reduced sea traffic, and global oil prices have skyrocketed. There are only a few ships running through the shipping lane, and President Donald Trump wants it opened. This weekend, the President of the United States issued a scary ultimatum to the Iranians to open the Strait of Hormuz, or face the consequences.
“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 79-year-old wrote on Truth Social.
U.S officials have claimed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard controls a large portion of the country’s energy infrastructure, per Politico. That, they claim, is used to fuel the conflict.
The fact that Donald Trump is now threatening to target Iran’s power åplatns have raised concerns. Not least because military strikes on power plants are only acceptable if the military advantage outweighs the harm they cause to civilians.
It didn’t take long for Iran to respond. On X, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf delivered a chilling warning, saying that if the country’s power plants were attacked, the U.S. would face devastating consequences for Gulf nations’ regional infrastructure, including energy and desalination facilities that provide fresh drinking water.
Iran issues terrifying threat towards the U.S and Gulf allies
Mohammad Bagher Qalibad warned that those areas could be “considered legitimate targets and will be destroyed in an irreversible manner”.
Ghalibaf added, “Alongside military bases, those financial entities that finance the US military budget are legitimate targets. US treasury bonds are soaked in Iranians’ blood. Purchase them, and you purchase a strike on your HQ and assets. We monitor your portfolios. This is your final notice.”
What will happen in the next few days? Time will tell. On Monday, March 23, Donald Trump said that the two countries had “very good and productive conversations” about resolving the conflict. He also said the United States would stop military strikes on Iranian power plants and energy facilities for five days, so the discussions could continue.
In a message written in all capital letters on Truth Social, Trump said he was happy to share the news. He wrote that the United States and Iran had serious, detailed talks over the last two days, and that the goal was to find a comprehensive solution to the problems in the Middle East.
‘No talks’ between the U.S and Iran
He also said he had told the Department of War to delay any military attacks on Iran’s energy and power systems for five days, because the conversations seemed to be going in a positive direction.
But Iran quickly denied that the talks had gone well. According to reports, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said there had not been any real or meaningful discussions. They also claimed that Trump’s statement was meant to lower global energy prices and give the US more time to prepare for possible military actions.
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