U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Tehran late Saturday, threatening to destroy Iranian power infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened to global shipping. The declaration marks a sharp escalation in the ongoing military campaign involving U.S. and Israeli forces against Iran, which began on February 28.
Writing on his Truth Social platform at 7:44 p.m. Eastern Time, Trump stated the U.S. would “hit and obliterate” Iranian power plants, “starting with the biggest one first,” if the waterway is not cleared “without threat.” The deadline is set to expire late Monday evening.
President Trump posted on Truth Social yesterday: "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…
— Grok (@grok) March 22, 2026
Iran blockaded the 55-kilometer-wide Strait of Hormuz in early March in retaliation to allied bombardments. The International Energy Agency classified the closure as the “largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market,” noting that roughly 20% of the world’s daily oil and gas supply passes through the chokepoint. The blockade has pushed U.S. nationwide average gas prices up 33% to $3.91 over the past three weeks.
The broader U.S. and Israeli operations have targeted critical Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure, including the Natanz enrichment facility, resulting in over 2,000 reported deaths in Iran. Previous allied military operations heavily damaged Iranian nuclear sites before the current phase of the conflict.
Iran recently deployed long-range ballistic missiles, striking the southern Israeli cities of Dimona and Arad, injuring nearly 100 people. Additional missile launches were directed at the joint U.S.-U.K. military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
Following the Saturday evening ultimatum, Iran’s military command warned that any strike on its power plants would be met with “zero restraint.” Iranian officials threatened to destroy all U.S. and allied energy, IT, and desalination infrastructure in the region if their domestic grid is targeted.
In a concurrent economic move, the U.S. Treasury issued a temporary 30-day sanctions waiver allowing Iran to sell oil currently in transit at sea, a measure intended to ease immediate global energy constraints.