Trump issues ultimatum to Iran over Strait of Hormuz closure
President Donald Trump said Saturday that the U.S. would obliterate Iran’s power plants if Tehran failed to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his deadline.
Updated: 8:26 AM CDT Mar 22, 2026
President Donald Trump is exchanging new threats with Iran over energy infrastructure, as the war enters its fourth week.On Saturday, Trump issued a new ultimatum on social media, giving Iran 48 hours to fully open the Strait of Hormuz, a major route for oil shipments that remains largely shut down. If the strait isn’t reopened, Trump said the United States “will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”Iran warned early Sunday that it would respond to attacks on its energy facilities by targeting U.S. and Israeli energy and infrastructure assets in the region. A statement carried by Iran’s state media, citing an Iranian military spokesperson, said, “If Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked by the enemy, all energy and information technology infrastructure and desalination plants belonging to the United States and the Israeli entity in the region will be targeted.” The latest exchange of threats injects more uncertainty into the conflict, one day after Trump said he was considering winding down military operations against Iran. Israel, on the other hand, is signaling that attacks will intensify this week, as the U.S. military buildup continues, with thousands of additional Marines reportedly heading to the Middle East.U.S. Central Command said Saturday that Iran’s ability to threaten navigation in the Strait of Hormuz has been degraded. The Trump administration is under pressure to secure the critical waterway as oil and gas prices have soared since the war started.The administration has deployed several strategies to address rising prices, including easing sanctions on Iranian oil that was already loaded on ships as of Friday. The Treasury Department says this policy will last until April 19, with the goal of bridging oil supply gaps and bringing down prices, though some analysts are skeptical of the approach. A spokesperson for Iran’s oil ministry said this weekend that Iran “essentially has no crude oil left in floating storage,” and asserted that the Trump administration’s strategy is an effort to manage the market psychologically.
President Donald Trump is exchanging new threats with Iran over energy infrastructure, as the war enters its fourth week.
On Saturday, Trump issued a new ultimatum on social media, giving Iran 48 hours to fully open the Strait of Hormuz, a major route for oil shipments that remains largely shut down.
If the strait isn’t reopened, Trump said the United States “will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”
Iran warned early Sunday that it would respond to attacks on its energy facilities by targeting U.S. and Israeli energy and infrastructure assets in the region.
A statement carried by Iran’s state media, citing an Iranian military spokesperson, said, “If Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked by the enemy, all energy and information technology infrastructure and desalination plants belonging to the United States and the Israeli entity in the region will be targeted.”
The latest exchange of threats injects more uncertainty into the conflict, one day after Trump said he was considering winding down military operations against Iran. Israel, on the other hand, is signaling that attacks will intensify this week, as the U.S. military buildup continues, with thousands of additional Marines reportedly heading to the Middle East.
U.S. Central Command said Saturday that Iran’s ability to threaten navigation in the Strait of Hormuz has been degraded. The Trump administration is under pressure to secure the critical waterway as oil and gas prices have soared since the war started.
The administration has deployed several strategies to address rising prices, including easing sanctions on Iranian oil that was already loaded on ships as of Friday. The Treasury Department says this policy will last until April 19, with the goal of bridging oil supply gaps and bringing down prices, though some analysts are skeptical of the approach.
A spokesperson for Iran’s oil ministry said this weekend that Iran “essentially has no crude oil left in floating storage,” and asserted that the Trump administration’s strategy is an effort to manage the market psychologically.