Ahead of his latest Strait of Hormuz deadline, Trump threatens Iran’s energy infrastructure
President Donald Trump has threatened major strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure and bridges ahead of his final deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz.
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He used an expletive referring to Islam and called Iranian leaders “crazy bastards” in a Truth Social article on Sunday, repeating past threats if Iran did not meet the deadline.
Trump has previously threatened to bomb Iran’s energy infrastructure before delaying any action, citing what he says are ongoing negotiations. On March 21, Trump said Iran had 48 hours to open the strait “without threat” or the United States would “strike and wipe out” its power plants.
He then extended the original deadline by five days to April 6, before warning Iran on Saturday that it had 48 hours to reach a deal or “hell would reign upon them.”
An attack on civilian infrastructure may be considered a war crime under international law.
In response to Trump’s message on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said the administration’s rhetoric had been “embarrassing and juvenile.”
He told moderator Kristen Welker, “People see this president as having gone to war without a clear rationale, and there is no amount of name-calling or boasting or tough talk that can cover up the fact that this president had no rationale and he doesn’t really have a plan.”
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a trade route through which 20 percent of the world’s oil passes, by striking ships in response to U.S.-Israeli attacks.
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Rising costs of energy, shipping and fertilizer, fueled by Tehran’s stranglehold on the strait, are already being felt in the United States and around the world, with more serious consequences expected for poorer, import-dependent countries.
While Iran has denied conducting direct or indirect negotiations with the United States and rejected calls for a ceasefire, both sides have acknowledged exchanging messages through intermediaries. It’s unclear whether the talks got anywhere, with thousands of additional U.S. troops arriving in the Middle East last week as the war continues to escalate.
Trump has repeatedly signaled that he seeks to end the conflict within weeks, and has made conflicting statements about whether he could end the war without reopening the strait, which he has said the United States “doesn’t need.”
In a speech on Wednesday, he said “countries in the world that receive oil” through the strait should “seize it and cherish it.”
Iran has insisted that the strait remains open to ships from friendly countries, with a reduced number of vessels making safe passage during the conflict. In March, Iranian media quoted Iran’s representative to the U.N. maritime agency as saying that ships except those linked to “Iran’s enemies” would be allowed to pass.
Shipping industry experts say some ships are having to pay millions of dollars to transit, with some tankers forced to take a new route in the Strait of Hormuz through a narrow passage controlled by the Revolutionary Guards. according to maritime data shared with NBC News.
