A plume of smoke rises from the site of a strike in Tehran on March 16, 2026.
Iran threatened on March 22 to attack key infrastructure across the Middle East if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on his vow to "obliterate" the Islamic Republic's power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz swiftly reopens.
Iran's defiant response came after its missiles slipped through air defenses and struck two towns in southern Israel including one housing a nuclear facility, underscoring Tehran's continued ability to retaliate as the war entered its fourth week.
Trump ratcheted up pressure on Iran's leadership, announcing a countdown over the Islamic Republic's de facto blockade on the crucial trade route.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the US would "hit and obliterate" Iranian power plants "starting with the biggest one first" if Tehran did not fully reopen the strait within 48 hours, or 23:44 GMT on March 23 according to the time of his post.
But Iran's military operational command responded that if the country's facilities were hit, "all energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure belonging to the U.S." in the region would be targeted.
As concerns grow about the economic fallout from the war, Trump has turned his attention to the blockaded Strait of Hormuz which typically carries around a fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas.
The standoff has rattled markets and sent fuel prices soaring, with North Sea Brent crude now trading above $105 a barrel, feeding fears about higher inflation and weaker global growth.
Trump has slammed NATO allies as "cowards" and urged them to secure the strait.
A total of 22 countries, including the U.K., France, Italy, Germany, South Korea, Australia, the UAE and Bahrain, said on March 21 they were ready to contribute to efforts ensuring safe passage in the vital waterway.
As thousands more American Marines head to the Middle East, US Central Command said bunker-busting bombs were dropped on an underground Iranian coastal facility this week, degrading Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the strategic waterway.
