Trump's new threat to Iran: "Open Hormuz within 48 hours or we will destroy your power plants"

“If Iran does not fully open, without threats, the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours from this precise moment, the United States will strike and annihilate their various power plants, starting with the largest!” With this incendiary message, posted on Truth Social Saturday at 7:44 PM Eastern Time, the President of the United States Donald Trump has imposed a stern ultimatum on Tehran.

The deadline, set for late Monday evening, marks a possible point of no return in a crisis that threatens to ignite the Middle East and destabilize global markets.

The move by the White House comes in response to the ongoing blockade of the Hormuz passage, effectively paralyzed since early March.

This is a strategic chokepoint through which about 20% of the world's oil, equivalent to 20 million barrels, passes daily.

Since the onset of hostilities, maritime traffic in the strait has decreased by 95% compared to peacetime, leaving over 3,200 ships stranded in the area.

According to various reports, Tehran is managing a real “traffic light” in the Persian Gulf, allowing passage in a trickle: in some documented cases, a toll of 2 million dollars has been requested.

Moreover, Iran has threatened to allow transit only for crude oil paid in Chinese yuan, a move interpreted as an attack on the petrodollar system and, by extension, on the U.S. economy.

The threat to strike Iran's electrical grid fits into a broader military offensive launched by the United States and Israel starting from February 28. The raids, according to available reports, have caused about 1,300 casualties and have literally decapitated Tehran's leadership, with the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, political figure Ali Larijani, and Intelligence Minister Ismail Khatib.

Despite the blows suffered, the regime has not collapsed: the power vacuum has reportedly been filled by the Pasdaran (Revolutionary Guards), taking a more hardline turn and intensifying the use of regional proxies, as evidenced by recent drone attacks against the United Arab Emirates.

The prospect of systematic bombings of Iranian civilian energy infrastructure raises strong concerns about the chain effects. An attack of such magnitude could not only plunge Iran into darkness, but also trigger retaliation against the delicate desalination plants and oil fields of the Gulf Arab countries.

The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has already warned that Tehran will show "zero moderation" if its infrastructure is hit. Fearing a global humanitarian and energy disaster, six allied countries — Italy, Germany, France, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands — have issued a joint statement in which, while condemning the attacks, they call for "an immediate and complete moratorium on attacks against civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas facilities".

The six capitals have also expressed their readiness to actively contribute to the restoration and protection of navigation security in the Strait of Hormuz.

From Washington, Trump has expressed confidence in an imminent conclusion. In recent hours, he has ruled out the deployment of U.S. ground troops, claiming that the war "will end very soon" as the navy, air force, air defenses, and the Iranian leadership "are no longer there". However, doubts are growing in the U.S. about the commander in chief's management of the war.

The countdown has begun. If Tehran does not fully reopen Hormuz, the annihilation of the country's power grid could shift from threat to executive order, opening a new and potentially devastating chapter for the entire Middle East.