HIBAPRESS
On Saturday, Donald Trump threatened Iran with military strikes targeting energy facilities if it did not fully and without threat open the Strait of Hormuz within a deadline of no more than 48 hours.
Trump said in a post on the Truth Social platform that his country would begin "destroying various energy stations in Iran, starting with the largest," if this warning was not heeded within the specified time. In a related context, the American president claimed that the United States had "completely destroyed Iran," confirming the achievement of the declared goals before the deadline. This came in response to criticisms published by The New York Times, where writer David Sanger attacked his assessment of the course of the war. Trump added that Iranian military capabilities, including the navy and air force, "are finished," and that Tehran is currently seeking to reach an agreement, as he put it, while emphasizing that he "does not want" that. An article in the American newspaper had angered Trump after it questioned the achievement of war goals, at a time when questions are escalating within Washington regarding the horizon of the conflict that has been going on for three weeks. In a previous post, Trump indicated that the United States is approaching the end of its military operations in the Middle East, clarifying that the goals include weakening Iranian missile capabilities, destroying its defense infrastructure, preventing it from developing nuclear capabilities, as well as protecting Washington's allies in the region. He also considered that the responsibility for securing the Strait of Hormuz should be borne by the countries benefiting from it, with Washington's readiness to provide support when needed, indicating that the task might be "militarily easy" after "neutralizing the Iranian threat." In previous statements, Trump affirmed that he is not seeking a ceasefire, considering that the United States has achieved a "military victory" and that Iran "is finished militarily," accusing it of resorting to closing the Strait of Hormuz as a pressure card. Regarding reports about possible military movements targeting the Iranian island of Kharg, Trump limited himself to saying that he has a "special plan that he may or may not announce." The American president also called on countries such as China and Japan to contribute to securing navigation through the strait, considering that it "will open automatically at some point," as he described it. In the same context, Trump criticized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, considering that its leaders "lack the courage" to participate in the process of securing the strait.
