President Donald Trump threatened Iran in a Truth Social post Saturday evening, warning that the U.S. would target the nation’s power plants if the Strait of Hormuz remained closed.
“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!” Trump wrote in the post.
Approximately 20% of the world’s oil passes through the the Strait of Hormuz, a critical trade route. Iranian attacks on ships in the area have seen the area essentially close to maritime traffic, while oil prices have soared globally.
The Trump administration said Friday that it lifted some sanctions to allow the sale of oil produced in Iran, the latest attempt at slowing skyrocketing energy prices.
During the war with Iran, retail gas prices have risen 93 cents per gallon, and the price of U.S. crude oil has gone up more than 70% since the start of the year. Earlier this month, the administration also lifted the Jones Act, allowing some shipping regulations on oil to be removed. The move also lifted some sanctions on Russian oil temporarily.
Trump has repeatedly pressured U.S. allies to assist in clearing the Strait of Hormuz, telling reporters Friday that China, Japan and NATO should intervene.
“You know, we don’t use the strait, the United States. We don’t need it,” Trump said. “Europe, needs it. Korea, Japan, China, a lot of other people, so they’ll have to get involved.”
Trump's Saturday post came as the war in the Middle East entered its fourth week, with Iran targeting a joint U.K.-U.S. base in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, while Iran’s main nuclear enrichment site was struck again.
The Iranian judiciary’s official news agency, Mizan, said there was no leakage after the strike on the Natanz nuclear facility, nearly 135 miles southeast of Tehran.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog has said the bulk of Iran’s estimated 970 pounds of enriched uranium is elsewhere, beneath the rubble at its Isfahan facility, with a lesser amount at Natanz. The International Atomic Energy Agency said on X it was informed about the strike and looking into it.
Israel’s military said it was “not aware” of a strike by it there. The Pentagon declined to comment on the attack. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said such strikes posed a “real risk of catastrophic disaster throughout the Middle East.”
Later Saturday, Iran said it was targeting Israel’s nuclear program. Rescue services treated at least 27 people for injuries in Dimona, which houses Israel’s main nuclear research center. Israel is believed to be the only Middle East nation with nuclear weapons, though its leaders refuse to confirm or deny their existence.
Separately, Israel's primary emergency service, Magen David Adom, said Saturday at least 88 people were rushed to hospitals after a missile strike in Arad, a city in the country's south. Ten of the people were in "serious" condition, it said. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the strike.
The Natanz facility was hit in the first week of the war and several buildings appeared damaged, according to satellite images. It also was targeted in the 12-day war last June.
Trump wrote another Truth Social post Saturday that the U.S. military has "blown Iran off of the map" and is "weeks ahead of schedule."
"Their leadership is gone, their navy and air force are dead, they have absolutely no defense, and they want to make a deal," Trump wrote. "I don’t!"
