As President Donald Trump’s 48-hour deadline approaches, Tehran has responded to his threat to “destroy” Iranian power plants with a threat of its own – and shows no signs of backing down. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have now declared that energy facilities in countries hosting US bases will be “legitimate targets” if Trump does so.Writing on Truth Social, Trump warned that if Tehran did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 23:44 GMT on Monday, he would destroy Iran’s power plants “starting with the largest plant first.” About 20% of the world’s oil passes through the narrow waterway, which has been effectively blocked since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28.Iran showed no signs of backing down on Sunday as Colonel Ibrahim Zolfkari, spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command, warned, “If Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked, the fuel, energy, information technology systems and desalination infrastructure used by the regime in the US and in the region will be attacked.”Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf threatened to irreversibly destroy critical infrastructure across the region.“Immediately after power plants and infrastructure in our country are targeted, critical infrastructure, energy infrastructure and oil facilities throughout the region will be considered legitimate targets and destroyed irreversibly, and the price of oil will remain high for a long time,” he posted on X.The war, now in its fourth week, has already spread beyond Iran’s borders. Iran on Saturday targeted a UK-US joint base in the Indian Ocean, while nuclear sites in both Iran and Israel were attacked. The death toll has risen to more than 1,500 in Iran, 1,000 in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 US military members, while millions have been displaced across the region.Now, with time running out, the question is whether Trump’s ultimatum will stick – or give Tehran a victory. For a president who came to power vowing to avoid “stupid” wars, the conflict he helped start is now in danger of spiraling out of control. His administration’s messaging has been openly contradictory — calling for de-escalation by deploying three more amphibious assault ships and about 2,500 additional Marines to the region. The US again attacked Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, while Tehran explicitly warned against any attack on its energy infrastructure.Trump has repeatedly called on China, Japan and NATO to help clear the strait. No one has moved.The financial pressures at home are real. Gas prices have increased 93 cents a gallon since the beginning of the year and the price of U.S. crude oil is up more than 70%. In a contradiction, the Trump administration has quietly begun to ease sanctions on Iranian crude, allowing allies to buy the same oil that finances Tehran – the very resource it is trying to cut off as well.Iran’s top diplomat has made clear that any path to peace will require “guarantees” that the US and Israel will not attack the Islamic Republic again, and assurances that its “sovereignty and national security will not be violated.” The comments came in a phone call with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on Saturday.
