Iran Threatens Regional Retaliation to Trump's Ultimatum on Strait of Hormuz

Iran has issued a stark warning of retaliatory strikes across the Middle East in response to an ultimatum from former US President Donald Trump concerning the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Trump posted a threat on his TruthSocial platform, stating that if Iran does not fully open the Strait "without threats" within 48 hours, the United States would strike and destroy various Iranian power plants, starting with the largest.

The Iranian response was swift and multi-faceted. Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of Iran's Parliament, declared that any attack on Iranian power stations would trigger immediate counterstrikes against energy and oil infrastructure throughout the region.

"Critical, as well as energy and oil infrastructure across the entire region will be considered legitimate targets," Ghalibaf wrote on social media platform X. "They will be irreversibly destroyed, and oil prices will continue to rise for a long time."

Representatives of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) echoed this threat, warning that all US and regional energy, IT, and desalination facilities would become targets if Iran's infrastructure is attacked.

In an even more direct escalation, the central headquarters of Iran's armed forces, "Hatem al-Anbiya," threatened to completely seal off the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement broadcast on state television, they warned that if the US carries out its threats against Iranian power plants, the strait "will be completely closed and will not open until our destroyed power plants are rebuilt."

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global chokepoint, handling approximately 20% of the world's seaborne oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. It has been effectively blockaded by Iranian forces following the outbreak of their conflict with the US and Israel. Disruptions have already contributed to sharp increases in global energy prices.

Analysts warn of severe economic consequences should the blockade persist. The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas calculated that if it continues through June, global economic growth in Q2 could fall by 2.9 percentage points annually. If closed for three quarters this year, analysts predict oil prices could reach $132 per barrel by year's end.