A dangerous new phase of brinkmanship between Washington and Tehran erupted over the weekend as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a sweeping set of retaliatory threats in response to Donald Trump’s ultimatum to destroy Iranian power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened within 48 hours.
Trump issued the stark warning late on Saturday night — a striking reversal in tone given that just one day earlier he had reportedly been considering winding down the conflict. The US president said he would “obliterate” Iranian power plants, beginning with the largest, if the vital waterway remained closed. The strait, through which approximately 20 per cent of the world’s daily oil supply passes, has been shut since the outbreak of hostilities, driving up global energy prices and fuelling fears of a wider economic crisis.
Tehran’s response was swift and categorical. In a formal statement, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps set out five specific punitive measures it said would be implemented immediately should the United States carry out any strike on Iranian energy infrastructure.
The Guards stated that the Strait of Hormuz would be “completely closed and will not open” until any destroyed power plants had been rebuilt. They went further, threatening to launch widespread attacks on Israeli power plants, energy infrastructure and information technology systems. Any energy companies operating in the region with American shareholders would, they warned, be “completely destroyed.” Power plants in countries hosting American military bases were also named as legitimate targets, and the statement concluded with a declaration that “everything is ready for the great jihad aimed at the complete destruction of all American economic interests in the West Asian region.”
The exchange of threats comes amid a fresh wave of Iranian missile strikes directed at Israel, raising alarm not only about regional stability but about the regime’s capacity to extend its reach further. More than 100 people have been reported wounded in the latest wave of attacks.
The escalating rhetoric marks a significant hardening of positions on both sides at a moment when diplomatic off-ramps appear increasingly narrow. With the strait already closed and oil markets under severe strain, the prospect of strikes on energy infrastructure — and the retaliatory cycle that could follow — has deepened anxiety among Western governments and global markets alike.
