Open Hormuz Now, Or Else: Trump Threatens 'Total Obliteration' of Iran's Power Grid, Oil Fields, and Kharg Island

Against the backdrop of escalating tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and their ripple effects on the global energy market, U.S. President Donald Trump ratcheted up the pressure on Monday and delivered a stark warning to Iran. Trump made clear that if the strait is not opened immediately, the United States will move to a broad escalation that includes severe strikes on the regime’s core energy infrastructure.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "The United States of America is in serious discussions with a newer and more reasonable regime to conclude our military operations in Iran." He emphasized that, although talks have made significant progress, the military threat remains on the table: "There has been great progress in the talks, but if for any reason an agreement is not reached soon—likely it will be—and if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened immediately, we will finish what we started well in Iran with an explosion and the total obliteration of every electrical power-generation plant, the oil wells, and Kharg Island (and maybe all the desalination facilities!), which we have intentionally not yet touched."

According to him, such a move would be "revenge for our many soldiers and others, whom Iran has slaughtered and killed during 47 years of the old regime’s 'reign of terror'."

His statements come just days after he announced he was pushing back by ten days the ultimatum he had set for Iran—through April 6 at 8:00 p.m. (U.S. time). In an interview with Fox News, he explained the decision: "Iran told me, through my people, 'Can we get an extension?', so I did. They asked for 7 days, and I decided to give them 10. Because they gave me ships (that passed through the Strait of Hormuz), and they were very grateful. It is moving along well, so I gave them 10 days."

Trump painted an optimistic picture of the broader campaign against Iran late last night. Speaking with reporters aboard "Air Force One," en route from Florida to Washington, he claimed that the United States is logging gains both on the military front and through diplomacy: "We destroyed many targets today in Iran. We are negotiating with them directly and indirectly."

He added: "We have good meetings, directly and indirectly, and we are getting a lot of important points. We are doing really well in the negotiations, but you never know with Iran. You negotiate with them and then we always have to bomb them."