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Original article: Trump liderando la tercera guerra mundial, amenaza con nuevos ataques si no se abre el estrecho de Ormuz

The U.S. President has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran to reopen the shipping route responsible for 20% of the world’s oil. Tehran has responded, threatening to plunge the region into darkness if its energy infrastructure is attacked.

In an unprecedented escalation that dangerously edges the world closer to a global conflict, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran on Saturday, demanding the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. He threatened to destroy the Islamic Republic’s power plants if the deadline is not met. Iranian officials responded swiftly and decisively: any attack on their energy facilities would be met with strikes that would lead to darkness for critical infrastructure in both the U.S. and Israel in the region.

«If Iran does not completely open the Strait of Hormuz without threats within the next 48 hours, the United States will attack and destroy its various power plants, starting with the largest!» Trump declared on his Truth Social platform from his Florida residence, as confirmed by EFE and the AP. This statement, released late Saturday, marks a radical shift in the president’s tone, who just a day prior had hinted at a possible de-escalation.

The crisis started four weeks ago with the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a joint U.S.-Israeli attack on February 28. It has now entered its most perilous phase. The Strait of Hormuz, the maritime artery connecting the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean and through which approximately one-fifth of the world’s crude and liquefied natural gas flows, remains nearly closed to international traffic, spiking fuel prices and threatening a global energy crisis.

«The Entire Region Will Be Left in Darkness»

The response from Tehran was swift. Through the Central Headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya, the Iranian military command warned that if the U.S. carries out its threat, «all energy infrastructure, information technology, and desalination facilities belonging to the U.S. and the Zionist regime in the region will be targeted.» A military spokesman quoted by state media went further, stating that the objective is to «plunge the region into darkness.»

Trump had already hinted at the possibility of attacking Iran’s power grid. On March 11, he told the press, «We could take out their power capability in an hour, and it would take them 25 years to rebuild it. Ideally, we hope not to do that.» Now, that option is on the table with the clock ticking down on the 48-hour ultimatum.

As the countdown progresses, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ali Musavi, insisted on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz remains open for international navigation, «except for enemies,» clearly referring to the U.S. and Israel. «The cause of the current situation in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz is the aggression of the United States and Israel against Iran,» stated the diplomat.

An Open-War Scenario with Long-Range Missiles

The conflict, which has already claimed over 2,000 lives according to unverified reports, has intensified in recent hours with attacks targeting the strategic heart of both sides. On Saturday night, Iranian missiles struck Israeli cities Dimona and Arad, injuring at least 175 people, 11 of them critically, and severely damaging apartment buildings.

Dimona houses Israel’s primary nuclear research center, and Israeli air defense systems failed to intercept the projectiles, as acknowledged by military spokesman Brigadier General Efi Defrin: «We will investigate the incident and learn lessons.»

But the escalation did not stop there. The Israeli military reported that Iran launched two ballistic missiles with a range of 4,000 kilometers toward the U.S.-British military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. According to Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir, «these missiles are not intended to hit Israel. Their range includes European capitals: Berlin, Paris, and Rome are in direct threat zone.» Iran has denied launching these missiles.

Trump: «I Don’t Want a Deal»

As bombs fall and missiles fly, Trump has been unequivocal regarding any possibility of negotiation. «Their leadership has evaporated, their Navy and Air Force are annihilated, they have absolutely no defense and want to reach a deal; I do not!» he wrote on Truth Social, in response to a New York Times article.

Hours earlier, he dismissed any calls for peace. Pope Leo XVI had called for a ceasefire and dialogue in the Middle East, but Trump asserted he has no intention of achieving a truce with Iran. This stance contradicts his own statements made just a week ago when he justified the initial attacks by claiming that «if we hadn’t done this, there would have been a Third World War.»

Now, paradoxically, his actions seem to be leading the world toward the very scenario he claimed to want to avoid. Economist Jeffrey Sachs, in an interview with Democracy Now!, warned that «on this path, we will head to world war, because we have two evil narcissists, Netanyahu and Trump, leading us to disaster.»

Elusive Allies and a Worried World

Trump’s ultimatum comes at a time of deep diplomatic isolation for Washington. The president has requested NATO allies and Asian countries like Japan and South Korea to contribute warships to secure the passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The response so far has been resounding silence or diplomatic refusals.

Germany reminded that the United States did not consult its allies before starting the war. France conditioned its participation on an end to the bombings and an agreement with Iran. Spain and Poland declined the invitation. As noted by an analysis published by Malay Mail, the situation is comparable to «a drunk who starts a fight in a bar, breaks half the furniture, and then loudly complains that no one is helping him pick up the chairs.»

The chief correspondent for The New York Times, David Sanger, cited by Trump in his post, has indicated that the U.S. has significantly weakened Iran’s military capabilities, but warns that the goals declared by the White House remain unmet.

The Global Cost of a Closed Strait

As leaders exchange threats on social media, the real world is starting to feel the effects. Insurance companies refuse to cover vessels navigating the Persian Gulf, tankers remain anchored, and crude oil piles up with no way out. Gas prices in Europe have surged by 35% last week following an Iranian attack on the Qatari industrial city of Ras Laffan, which processes one-fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas.

«The consequences do not stop at the Persian Gulf. They travel. They travel to truck drivers in Malaysia, to factories in Vietnam, to farmers in India, to fishermen in Sri Lanka,» warns the analysis published in Malay Mail. «Diesel prices go up, food prices rise, transportation slows, currencies wobble, central banks panic. The Global South, which had no vote in this war, ends up paying the bill anyway.»

In this scenario, Trump maintains his stance. With the hours of the ultimatum ticking away, the world awaits the next move from a president who has turned geopolitics into a reality show with potentially catastrophic consequences. «I wouldn’t want to navigate there right now,» Trump said a week ago, referring to the strait.

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