Tehran, March 22, 2026 – Iran’s military on Sunday warned that it would completely shut down the Strait of Hormuz if US President Donald Trump acts on threats to target Iranian power plants.
Trump had given Iran 48 hours to reopen the strait, which has been effectively closed since the start of the war on February 28, triggered by US-Israeli bombardments of Iran. The conflict has since spread across the Middle East, with Iran responding with drone and missile strikes on Israel and US interests in the region.
“If the United States’ threats regarding Iran’s power plants are carried out… the Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed, and it will not be reopened until our destroyed power plants are rebuilt,” said the military’s operational command Khatam Al-Anbiya, in a statement broadcast on state TV.
The statement added that Iran would also target Israel’s power plants, energy infrastructure, and information and communications technology (ICT) systems, as well as power plants in regional countries hosting US bases or companies with US shareholders, citing defense of national interests.
The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic waterway through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes. Since the outbreak of hostilities, traffic has been brought to a near standstill, with only about five percent of pre-war vessel volumes able to transit, according to analytics firm Kpler.
Iranian forces have attacked multiple vessels, citing violations of warnings against transiting the strait. Recently, they have allowed some ships from countries they consider friendly to pass, while threatening to block vessels from nations involved in what Tehran calls “aggression” against it.
Meanwhile, the Iranian parliament is considering imposing tolls on shipping through the strait, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warning that maritime traffic “will not return to its pre-war status.”
The escalating tension underscores the global economic stakes tied to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for energy exports, amid fears of wider regional conflict.
