The region and the world have entered a state of "holding their breath" as the deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran reaches its final hours. While Washington clings to the option of destroying energy facilities, Tehran is threatening a "complete closure" of the Strait of Hormuz, putting the global economy on the brink of an unprecedented abyss.
Live Challenge and 48-Hour Alarm
The crisis began to take a dangerous upward turn after President Trump threatened on the "Truth Social" platform to strike and destroy Iran's energy facilities unless the Strait of Hormuz is fully opened within 48 hours.
In an interview broadcast Monday with Newsnation, Trump commented on the remarks of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who reiterated his country's rejection of the threats, saying in defiant tone: "We'll see if he's right or not."
For his part, Araqchi stressed on his official account on the "X" platform that "the strait is not closed," warning that "there is no freedom of navigation without freedom of trade," calling on Washington to use the language of respect instead of threats.
Target Bank and Stock Exchanges
US media reports, based on Treasury Secretary Scott Besant's statements to NBC, suggest that Washington may target six major Iranian power plants. Topping the list are the Damavand plant (the largest with a production of 2,868 megawatts) and the Bushehr nuclear plant, which represent an important technical and political symbol.
The escalation comes as the International Energy Agency's Executive Director, Fatih Birol, has warned that the world is facing "the worst energy crisis in decades", stressing that the current situation is more serious than the oil shocks of 1973 and 1979, with 44 energy facilities already affected in nine countries in the region.
Iran's response: "Closure for destruction"
On the other hand, Iranian state media quoted a statement from the "Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters" (the Central Operations Room of the Armed Forces), in which it confirmed that if the US threat is implemented, the Strait of Hormuz will be "completely" closed and will not be reopened until the damaged facilities are rebuilt. The statement also included an explicit threat to target U.S. power plants and the interests of its allies in the region, including desalination plants and oil infrastructure in the Gulf states.
Warnings of global economic paralysis
Strategic observers interviewed by news agencies believe that targeting these facilities will strike at the "core" of global economic power. According to the International Energy Agency, the repercussions of the confrontation may force countries to return to the "energy rationing" measures that the world experienced during the pandemic, given the heavy international dependence on oil and gas passing through the region.