The U.S. war in Iran is still ongoing, and the world is holding its breath over what might happen next. Donald Trump is pushing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and issued an eerie ultimatum to the Iranians just days ago. Now, Iran has responded—with a terrifying threat of its own.
The conflict in Iran is placing enormous pressure on the global economy, with several countries caught in the crossfire, especially due to the growing oil shortage. When U.S. and Israeli bombings began, Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a passageway through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply travels.
This has led to reduced sea traffic and soaring global oil prices. Only a few ships are still moving through the shipping lane, and President Donald Trump wants it reopened. Over the weekend, the President of the United States issued a chilling ultimatum to Iran: open the Strait of Hormuz or face severe 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 that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard controls a large portion of the country’s energy infrastructure, according to Politico. They argue that this infrastructure is being used to fuel the conflict.
Trump’s threat to target Iran’s power plants has raised serious concerns, especially since military strikes on such facilities are only considered acceptable if the military advantage outweighs the harm to civilians.
Iran did not take long to respond. On X, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issued a chilling warning, saying that if Iran’s power plants were attacked, the U.S. would face devastating consequences for the regional infrastructure of Gulf nations—including energy and desalination facilities that supply fresh drinking water.
Iran issues terrifying threat toward the U.S. and Gulf allies Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that these facilities could be “considered legitimate targets and will be destroyed in an irreversible manner.”
He 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 unfold in the coming days remains uncertain. On Monday, March 23, Donald Trump said that the two countries had “very good and productive conversations” about resolving the conflict. He also announced that the United States would pause military strikes on Iranian power plants and energy facilities for five days to allow discussions to continue.
In a message written entirely in capital letters on Truth Social, Trump said he was pleased to share the update. He wrote that the United States and Iran had engaged in serious, detailed talks over the previous two days, with the goal of finding a comprehensive solution to the problems in the Middle East.
‘No talks’ between the U.S. and Iran Trump also said he had instructed the Department of War to delay any military attacks on Iran’s energy and power systems for five days because the conversations appeared to be moving in a positive direction.
But Iran quickly denied that the talks had gone well. According to reports, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said there had been no real or meaningful discussions. They also claimed that Trump’s statement was intended to lower global energy prices and give the U.S. more time to prepare for potential military action.
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