US President Donald Trump has issued a direct ultimatum to Iran: reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8pm Jap Time in the USA on Tuesday, April 7 (midnight GMT on April 8), or face the destruction of nationwide energy crops and bridges.
This echoes an earlier March 21 ultimatum during which he threatened to assault Iran’s energy crops – “the largest one first” – if the strait was not totally reopened inside 48 hours.
President Trump has since prolonged that deadline several occasions, citing progress in negotiations he claims the US is having with Iran to finish the continuing warfare. Iran denies it’s holding direct talks with the US.
Whereas Trump has made grand statements corresponding to “they’re going to lose each energy plant and each different plant they’ve in the entire nation”, he has not talked about particular targets.
The US president has additionally threatened to destroy the country’s bridges. Over the weekend, a US-Israeli strike hit the B1 bridge in the city of Karaj, west of Tehran. The key freeway hyperlink, described because the tallest bridge within the Center East, had been scheduled to be inaugurated quickly. It sustained important injury within the strike.
Authorized specialists say that concentrating on civilian websites quantities to “collective punishment”, which is prohibited below the legal guidelines of warfare.
The place are Iran’s energy crops?
Iran operates a whole bunch of energy crops which, collectively, kind one of many largest electrical energy methods within the Center East, supplying vitality to 92 million individuals.
Many of the nation’s energy crops are near main inhabitants centres and industrial hubs. Nearly all of Iran’s inhabitants lives within the western half of the nation, with Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan the three largest cities.
Iran has a mix of fuel, coal, hydro, nuclear and oil-fired energy crops, however most are gas-fired. Within the north and centre of the nation, clusters of gas-fired crops provide electrical energy to the nation’s largest inhabitants centres, together with Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan and Mashhad.
One other main focus of energy crops lies alongside the Gulf coast. These crops sit near main gasfields and ports, permitting massive thermal stations to run on ample pure fuel.
The coast can also be dwelling to the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, Iran’s solely nuclear energy facility, which has a capability of 1,000MW. The US and Israel have repeatedly hit this nuclear energy plant, elevating dangers of radioactive contamination far past Iran’s borders, the state-run Atomic Vitality Organisation of Iran (AEOI) has warned.
Iran additionally operates a handful of hydropower dams concentrated alongside the Karun River, the nation’s most necessary supply of hydroelectric era.
Electrical energy generated from all these crops is fed right into a nationwide transmission community operated by Iran Grid Administration Firm, which distributes energy to cities, industries and houses throughout the nation.
The map under exhibits all of Iran’s energy stations with a capability of 100MW or extra.
A 100MW energy plant can sometimes provide electrical energy to roughly 75,000 to 100,000 houses, relying on consumption patterns.
Iran’s largest energy plant by capability is the Damavand Energy Plant positioned within the Pakdasht space, roughly 50km (31 miles) southeast of Tehran, with a capability of some 2,900MW, sufficient to energy greater than two million houses.
That are Iran’s most necessary energy crops?
Iran’s largest energy crops embody:
- Damavand (Pakdasht) Energy Plant – Close to Tehran.
Gas: Pure fuel (combined-cycle).
Capability: 2,868MW. - Shahid Salimi Energy Plant – Neka, alongside the Caspian Coastline.
Gas: Pure fuel.
Capability: 2,215MW. - Shahid Rajaee Energy Plant – Close to Qazvin.
Gas: Pure fuel.
Capability: 2,043MW. - Karun-3 Dam – Khuzestan Province.
Gas: Hydropower.
Capability: 2,000MW. - Kerman Energy Plant – Kerman.
Gas: Pure fuel.
Capability: 1,912MW.
Different smaller however strategically necessary energy crops embody:
- Ramin Energy Plant – Ahvaz, Khuzestan.
Gas: Fuel.
Capability: 1,903MW. - Bushehr Nuclear Energy Plant – On the Gulf.
Gas: Nuclear.
Capability: 1,000MW. - Bandar Abbas Energy Plant – Close to the Strait of Hormuz.
Gas: Oil.
Capability: 1,330MW.
How does Iran generate its electrical energy?
Iran’s electrical energy system depends closely on massive thermal energy crops fuelled by pure fuel. The nation has one of many world’s largest pure fuel reserves, and this gasoline kinds the spine of its energy system.
In 2025, 86 p.c of Iran’s electrical energy got here from pure fuel.
Oil-fired crops present a smaller share, producing roughly seven p.c of electrical energy. Some energy stations swap to diesel or gasoline oil when pure fuel provides are tight, particularly throughout winter demand peaks.
Hydropower accounts for about 5 p.c of electrical energy. Massive dams on rivers such because the Karun River generate energy by utilizing flowing water to spin generators.
Nuclear vitality contributes round two p.c of the nation’s electrical energy, primarily from the Bushehr Nuclear Energy Plant, Iran’s solely operational nuclear reactor.
Renewables corresponding to photo voltaic and wind play a really small function, collectively accounting for lower than one p.c of electrical energy era.
Total, greater than 90 p.c of Iran’s electrical energy comes from fossil fuels, making it probably the most gas-dependent energy methods on the earth.
