Iran’s oil depots have previously been targeted by Israel (Photo by Hassan Ghaedi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Donald Trump has said the US will destroy each of Iran’s power plants if the country does not allow ships to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz.
The strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes for oil, has effectively been closed for almost three weeks in retaliation for strikes by the US and Israel.
Energy prices across the world have spiked as a result, with fears the situation could fuel significant inflation if it does not end soon.
Writing on Truth Social, the US President said: ‘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!’
The message was sent at around 11.45 pm on Saturday evening UK time, meaning the deadline will expire just before midnight on Monday.
It is the latest effort from Trump to get traffic moving through the crucial waterway again amid an escalating crisis.
Shortly after Iran announced it would effectively close the strait on March 3, he suggested the US Navy could escort tankers, writing on social media his nation would ‘ensure the free flow of energy to the world’.
He has since backed down from that assurance, and on Friday wrote: ‘The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it – The United States does not!’
The threat is US President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to reopen the vital waterway (Picture: Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
A Rockwell B1 Lancer heavy bomber at RAF Fairford, which the US is using to launch raids (Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images)
An earlier request from the US for other countries to send their warships to the conflict zone was widely rebuffed, with world leaders wary of putting their troops in the firing line.
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That included the UK, with Sir Keir Starmer saying he wanted to avoid being dragged into the wider war.
But on Friday, Downing Street gave permission for the US to use British bases to launch strikes on Iranian sites that have targeted the strait.
A spokesperson said the move was simply continuing the ‘collective self-defence’ agreement that already allowed the US to carry out defensive operations on Iran’s missile bases.
Both the Liberal Democrats and Green Party have called for a vote in Parliament on the move, with Green leader Zack Polanski calling it ‘another worrying escalation’.
Meanwhile, forecasters are predicting the war in Iran will drive up annual energy bills by £332 when the price cap is refreshed in July.
The increase would mean bills reach their highest level for three years, and is almost double the prediction less than three weeks ago.
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