President Donald Trump warned Iran, which has blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, that unless it fully reopens the strait within 48 hours, the United States will devastate power plants across Iran. By signaling a hard-line military response that goes beyond indirect pressure such as deploying the U.S. Navy to escort oil tankers and coordinating with neighboring countries to directly strike Iran's national infrastructure, tensions in the Middle East are rising further.
On the 22nd (local time), according to the Times of Israel and others, Trump said on his social media Truth Social on the 21st, "If Iran does not fully open the Strait of Hormuz without any threats, starting exactly 48 hours from now, we will begin with the largest power plants and strike and obliterate power facilities across Iran."
This is seen as an escalation in response after Iran effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz from early this month and, on the 21st, launched missile attacks targeting major cities such as Dimona and Arad in Israel, where nuclear research facilities are concentrated. International oil prices soared 40% as of the 12th from before the conflict erupted, as the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's crude shipments pass, became clogged. The United States had refrained from striking Iran's energy-related facilities in consideration of the ripple effects on the global economy, but as Iran repeatedly attacked civilian merchant ships and claimed control over the strait, Washington appears to have adjusted its strategy.
Energy experts noted that Trump designated power plants, not oil facilities, as precise strike targets. If Iran's crude production facilities are directly destroyed, international oil prices could spike to an uncontrollable level and boomerang on the U.S. economy. But if the power grid is struck, it can damage Iran's internal warfighting capability and public sentiment while keeping the shock to the oil market at a relatively manageable level. Bob McNally, a former White House energy adviser, said in a CTV interview, "The situation has moved beyond what can be solved with energy policy," adding, "Only a military solution is the sole means to reopen the strait."
Iran is also preparing for a protracted war by mobilizing proxy forces known as the "axis of resistance." Raphael Cohen, a senior researcher at RAND, said, "President Trump prefers pressure through superiority of force over diplomatic compromise, but if Iran regards this as a threat to regime survival and pushes back comprehensively, there is a high risk the entire Middle East will turn into an uncontrollable battlefield."