The ultimatum Trump issued to Iran over the Strait of Hormuz has intensified scrutiny in Washington of how the United States is preparing for — and communicating during — a high-stakes maritime crisis, the Associated Press reported from West Palm Beach, Florida. In the latest shift, Trump warned that if Iran does not reopen the strategic waterway within 48 hours, the United States would “annihilate” power facilities in Iran.
AP reported that Trump’s approach has changed repeatedly over roughly a week, with advisers and allies presenting the strategy as calibrated to keep pressure on Tehran. Critics, however, have said the frequent movement from diplomacy to sanctions to direct threats reflects a lack of a clear path out of an escalating standoff.
The criticism sharpened after Trump’s most recent messages targeted energy infrastructure tied to civilian life, including electricity used by hospitals and homes. AP said his prior threats focused more on U.S. success against Iranian air power, naval forces and missile production, while the new warning is aimed at power stations supplying electricity across Iran.
Democrats seized on the ultimatum’s scope and target selection. “Trump no tiene un plan para reabrir el estrecho de Ormuz, así que está amenazando con atacar las centrales eléctricas civiles de Irán”, Sen. Ed Markey said, adding, “Esto sería un crimen de guerra.” Sen. Chris Murphy echoed the concerns, saying, “Ha perdido el control de la guerra y está entrando en pánico.”
AP also described the wider political and economic pressure surrounding the Hormuz crisis, saying the urgency for Trump has grown as crude oil prices have moved higher and have shaken global markets. The report said the rise in prices is adding pressure on U.S. consumers ahead of months leading to decisive legislative elections.
In parallel, AP reported that the administration’s recent moves included a sanctions shift by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, removing sanctions on part of Iranian oil for the first time in decades. The stated aim was to put additional barrels of oil on the market, though AP said it was not clear how much that would reduce gasoline prices or how it would prevent Iran from benefiting from resumed sales. The report also noted a similar temporary sanction rollback had been applied to part of Russian oil previously.
Before the ultimatum, AP said Trump sought a diplomatic solution by calling for an international coalition to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, but allies rejected the idea. The president then suggested the United States might proceed on its own, AP said, before later indicating the waterway “se abriría sola” — would somehow reopen on its own.
Military legal experts and regional partners added additional concerns about the move. Geoffrey Corn, a professor of military law at Texas Tech University and a retired Army colonel who served as a military attorney, told AP that Trump’s social media posting did not appear to reflect the legal scrutiny needed to justify an attack on civilian infrastructure. “Sin duda tiene la sensación de ‘preparen, apunten, fuego’”, Corn said. He added that such generalized targeting would likely constitute a war crime and said commanders could face a bind between obeying an order to commit a war crime or refusing and facing possible criminal penalties for deliberate disobedience.
Under laws governing armed conflict, AP said, there is no explicit blanket prohibition on attacking power plants. But specialists described a high threshold for doing so, requiring a determination that military advantage outweighs expected civilian harm — a difficult standard in practice because the rules of war are designed to separate civilian and military objectives.
AP also reported that the Trump administration provided limited specifics about which Iranian power plants could be targeted and how. It said Trump told Iran it had until Monday to reopen the strait, or the United States would attack “varias centrales eléctricas, ¡empezando por la más grande!” The report said his team defended the approach in public discussion on Sunday.
Among the advisers who argued for possible targeting, AP quoted Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, saying the Iranian Revolutionary Guard controls much of Iran’s infrastructure and uses it to advance war-making capabilities. Waltz told Fox News that possible targets include “centrales termoeléctricas alimentadas por gas y otros tipos de instalaciones,” while also arguing he wanted to get ahead of what he described as global criticism and calling the Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization.
AP said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who has aligned closely with Trump, sought to calm tensions, telling reporters he understood Trump’s anger and that more than 20 countries were joining to implement what he described as a shared vision to keep navigation through the strait open. The Israeli ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, also advised against a large-scale strike, telling CNN’s “State of the Union” that “Queremos dejar todo intacto en el país, para que las personas que vengan después de este régimen puedan reconstruir y reconstituir.”
AP reported that the threatened shift could also backfire. Iranian leaders, AP said, indicated that if the ultimatum is carried out they would close the Strait of Hormuz completely and respond by striking U.S. and Israeli infrastructure.