JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump threatened Iran if the Strait of Hormuz remained closed for 48 hours, the US military would target power plants throughout the Islamic Republic.
Trump's warning was delivered on his Truth Social social media account on Saturday night, March 21 local time.
"If Iran does not FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT PREJUDICE, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS of this time, the United States will attack and destroy their various ELECTRICITY GENERATORS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST FIRST!" Trump wrote in the post.
Around 20 percent of the world's oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz. The global waterway is affected by the massive US-Israeli attack since February 28 amid the US-Iranian nuclear standoff mediated by Oman.
Iran, which retaliated against the US-Israeli attack, made the world's energy-carrying ships test-run through the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in a global spike in oil prices.
The pressure from the war initiated by the US-Israel made Trump depressed so that the US tried to lift some sanctions against Iran.
On Friday, March 20, Trump allowed the sale of oil produced in Iran, the latest attempt to slow the skyrocketing rise in energy prices.
During the war with Iran, NBC News reported that retail gasoline prices had risen 93 cents per gallon, and U.S. crude prices had risen more than 70 percent since the start of the year.
Earlier this month, the US government also repealed the Jones Act, allowing several oil shipping regulations to be removed. This step also lifted some sanctions against Russian oil for a while.
Trump has also repeatedly called on US allies to help control the Strait of Hormuz. However, he was rejected by many US allies, including NATO member states.
This impartiality towards the war that the US and its allies Israel had been promoting made Trump angry.
"You know, we don't use that strait, the United States. We don't need it," Trump said.
"Europe needs it. Korea, Japan, China, many others, so they have to get involved," Trump threatened.
US-Israel Attack Iranian Nuclear Facility
Trump's threat to the power plant on Saturday night, March 21, could trigger power outages in many areas of Iran.
Trump's warning came as the war in the Middle East entered its fourth week. So far the US-Israel has attacked elementary school buildings in Iran causing more than 150 people to die, including students. The US-Israel also carried out preemptive attacks on civilian drinking water refineries, oil refineries, banking offices, and nuclear facilities in Iran.
Iran then retaliated by targeting a joint British-US military base and US assets in the Middle East. The US then retaliated by attacking Iran's main nuclear enrichment site in Natanz.
Iran's official news agency, Mizan, said there was no leak after the attack on the Natanz nuclear facility, located nearly 135 miles southeast of Tehran, as a result of an attack on Iran's main nuclear enrichment that has so far been proven by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or the UN Nuclear Supervisory Agency for civilian needs.
According to the IAEA, most of Iran's roughly 970 pounds of enriched uranium is elsewhere, under rubble at the Isfahan facility, with a smaller amount at Natanz. The IAEA said in its X account that it had been informed of the attack and was investigating it.
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