A clear warning
US President Donald Trump has issued a direct threat to Iran and its power plants, saying he will “obliterate” them if the country does not comply with a deadline to fully open the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has given the country a 48-hour deadline for a full opening of the Strait which is a critical shipping route.
Through the Strait of Hormuz passes around one fifth of the world’s oil and it has been effectively blocked off since the latest round of conflict began in the Middle East on 28 February.
According to Iran, they’re only blocking passage of its “enemies”. However, data from the Maritime AI company Windward shows transits have fallen by 94.2% since the war began.
“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! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP”, Trump said writing on his Truth Social platform.
Should the US follow through with Trump’s threat, this means that Iran has until 11.44pm (UK time) on Monday to fully open the strait.
Late on Saturday, Iranian missiles struck two communities near Israel’s main nuclear research centre, leaving several people injured.
Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s main nuclear enrichment site at Natanz was hit, however Israel denied responsibility for the attack and the Pentagon has refused to comment.
Israel has warned that the Islamic Republic’s missiles could travel 4,000km and hit cities like London, Paris or Berlin, following the firing of two missiles towards the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.
According to UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, the UK will not be involved in offensive action and has “taken a different view from the US and Israel”, in spite of the latest incident.
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