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Iran threatens strikes on Gulf power plants following Trump's Strait of Hormuz ultimatum

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Special Series Middle East conflict Conflict in the Middle East has been escalating. These stories provide context for current developments and the history that led up to them.
− By NPR Staff Commercial vessels in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz on March 22, 2026 in northern Ras al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.
+ By NPR Staff Commercial vessels are seen in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, in northern Ras al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday.
− Getty Images/Getty Images Europe hide caption Israel launched more strikes on Tehran Monday as Iran warned it could start striking power plants in the Gulf region.
+ Getty Images hide caption President Trump says the United States is negotiating with Iran to end the war now in its fourth week, and will hold off striking Iranian power plants for five days.
− The threat came after Trump gave Tehran 48 hours on Saturday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, an ultimatum that sent stocks tumbling.
+ Iran denies any talks were underway.
− Iran's Defense Council said Monday that the only way for "non-belligerent" countries to pass through the Strait of Hormuz is through coordination with Iran, and warned that any attack on Iran's coasts or islands would trigger mine-laying across the Gulf sea lanes.
+ Trump's announcement, posted on social media Monday morning, came hours before a deadline he had imposed threatening further escalation if Iran did not reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz to shipping.
− The Council also warned of a "decisive and devastating response" to any attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure.
+ Stocks rallied on the news.
− Trump, in his ultimatum, posted in Truth Social, warned: "America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!" Roughly a fifth of the world's oil transited through the strait last year. Iran's willingness to attack the transport vessels has virtually halted traffic through the crucial waterway, raising fears of prolonged disruptions to global energy supplies. Global markets have reacted sharply.
+ "There is no dialogue between Tehran and Washington," Iran's Foreign Ministry said, according to the country's state broadcaster.
− Stocks in Asia and Europe fell Monday, while oil prices remained over $100 a barrel, up by more than 50% since the start of the war with Iran.
+ It said Trump's statements were an effort to reduce energy prices and gain time to carry out his military plans.
− The latest volatility underscored how the war shows little sign of ending, even as Trump recently suggested he was considering "winding down" military efforts in the region.
+ Here's what else to know about the latest developments in the conflict.
− Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said it intercepted a ballistic missile launched towards its capital, Riyadh, and continued to intercept drones overnight. Here are the latest updates: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu, accompanied by Dimona Mayor, Benny Biton (L), speak to media while visiting the area destroyed by an Iranian ballistic missile last night, leaving over 50 wounded residents on March 22, 2026 in Dimona, Israel.
+ To jump to specific areas of coverage, use the links below: Iran threats | US campaign timeline | Energy crisis People wave flags as they demonstrate in support of the Iranian government on March 22, 2026 in central Tehran, Iran.
− Alexi J.
+ Majid Saeedi/Getty Images hide caption Iranian officials warned Monday that if the U.S.
− Rosenfeld/Getty Images Europe hide caption Iranian officials warned Monday that if the U.S.
+ attacks Iran's power plants, Iran would retaliate against energy and water infrastructure across the Gulf region – including in countries that host U.S.
− follows through on Trump's ultimatum and strikes Iran's power plants, Iran would retaliate against energy and water infrastructure across the Gulf region – including in countries that host U.S.
military bases.
− In a separate statement, Iran's Defense Council said "non-belligerent" countries could only transit through the Strait of Hormuz through coordination with Iran, and warned that any attack on Iran's coasts or island would trigger mine-laying across Gulf sea lanes that could effectively block maritime traffic beyond the narrow strait.
+ In a separate statement, Iran's Defense Council said "non-belligerent" countries could only transit through the Strait of Hormuz through coordination with Iran, and warned that any attack on Iran's coasts or islands would trigger mine-laying across Gulf sea lanes that could effectively block maritime traffic beyond the narrow strait.
− U.S.
+ Israeli helicopter gunships fly along the Lebanon-Israel border in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel on March 22, 2026.
+ Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images hide caption U.S.
Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper said Monday that the Strait of Hormuz is "physically open," but argued ships are staying away because Iran was firing missiles and drones at vessels. Cooper made the comments in an interview with Iran International, a London-based Persian news outlet.
− People wave flags as they demonstrate in support of the Iranian government on March 22, 2026 in central Tehran, Iran.
+ Cooper said the U.S.
− Majid Saeedi/Getty Images hide caption Cooper said the U.S.
campaign in Iran is "ahead or on plan," saying that Iran's military capabilities are deteriorating. He also accused Iran of increasingly targeting civilians across the Middle East. "They're operating in a sign of desperation…in the last couple of weeks they've attacked civilian targets very deliberately, more than 300 times," Cooper said.
− An Ultra-Othodox Jewish man looks at the houses destroyed in an Iranian missile strike in Dimona on March 22, 2026.
+ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu, accompanied by Dimona Mayor, Benny Biton (L), speak to media while visiting the area destroyed by an Iranian ballistic missile last night, leaving over 50 wounded residents on March 22, 2026 in Dimona, Israel.
− John Wessels/AFP via Getty Images hide caption Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency, warned Monday that the global economy faces a "major, major threat" from the war's disruption to oil and gas flows.
+ Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images Europe hide caption Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency, warned Monday that the global economy faces a "major, major threat" from the war's disruption to oil and gas flows.
"No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues to go in this direction," Birol said speaking at Australia's National Press Club in Canberra Monday. He added: "The situation is very severe." "At least 40 energy facilities across nine countries have also been severely damaged in the conflict." Birol said the current situation was worse than the combined oil crises of 1973 and 1979, which together lost 10 million barrels per day.
− Israeli helicopter gunships fly along the Lebanon-Israel border in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel on March 22, 2026. Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images hide caption "And today, only as of today," we lost 11 million barrels per day – so more than two major oil shocks put together," he said.
+ "And today, only as of today," we lost 11 million barrels per day – so more than two major oil shocks put together," he said.
Birol said the IEA was consulting with governments in Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East about releasing more stockpiles of oil, in addition to the "historic" 400 million barrels of oil released earlier this month.
+ Rebecca Rosman contributed to this report from Paris.
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