Iran's 'Indefinite Closure' Hormuz Warning To Trump's Blackout Threat

Iran has threatened to close the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz indefinitely if the US military follows through with President Donald Trump's warning of bombing the Iranian energy facilities amid escalating war in the Middle East. The Iranian military said that if the country's energy infrastructures are targeted, Tehran would not reopen the critical waterway until plants damaged or destroyed in US strikes are rebuilt, according to a report by CNN.

Tehran has also warned that if homes in the country go dark, it will target all Israeli energy and communications infrastructure, as well as "similar companies in the region with US shareholders".

Trump's Threat

Iran's warning came after Trump threatened that the US would "obliterate" Iran's power plants if it didn't fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. The American commander-in-chief – who is facing increasing pressure at home to secure the strait as oil prices soar – issued the ultimatum in a social media post while he spent the weekend at his Florida home. 

He said if Iran didn't open the strait, the US would destroy its "various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!"

The Hormuz Challenge

The bottleneck has nearly halted all petroleum shipments through the narrow waterway. Oil prices rose again early on Monday, with US benchmark crude briefly touching the $100-per-barrel mark.

The increasing Brent crude prices also pose a particular challenge for India, one of the world's largest oil importers. Persistently high oil prices could fuel inflation, widen external imbalances, weaken the rupee, and extend foreign capital outflows.

Iranian missiles, meanwhile, struck two communities in southern Israel late Saturday, leaving buildings shattered and dozens injured in dual attacks not far from Israel's main nuclear research centre. The developments signalled the war was moving in a dangerous new direction at the start of its fourth week. 

The number of deaths from the war has risen to more than 1,500 people in Iran, more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, 15 people in Israel and 13 US military members, as well as several civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.