US President Donald Trump has issued a dramatic ultimatum to Iran saying he will “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it fails to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last week that several countries had requested safe passage for their ships and had been allowed to transit, but emphasized that it is up to Iran’s military to decide access.
Trump’s ultimatum comes as pressure mounts on Washington to secure the critical waterway, where shipping traffic has virtually ground to a halt since the early days of the war, causing oil prices to soar and stock markets to fall. The US president made the threat barely a day after claiming the US was “getting very close to meeting our objectives” and considering “winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East.”
Following Trump’s threat, the Iranian army said it would target all energy infrastructure belonging to the US in the region if Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure were attacked.
Earlier this week, US fighter jets dropped 5,000-pound (about 2,300kg) bombs on an underground Iranian coastal facility storing antiship cruise missiles and mobile launchers. Admiral Brad Cooper said the strike also destroyed intelligence support sites and missile radar relays used to monitor ship movements, asserting that Iran’s ability to target vessels in the strait had been “degraded.”
Reporting from Al Jazeera notes a gap between the White House’s public rhetoric and the military’s assessment, highlighting the tension between Trump’s threats of major escalation and the US military’s reported progress in reducing Iran’s strike capabilities.
Iran’s warnings, combined with Trump’s ultimatum, have left the region on edge, with global markets closely watching developments in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
