Hitting Iran’s Power Plants Would Invite Reckless Escalation
President Trump may not be able to control what he unleashes
Photographer: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP
In the space of a weekend, Donald Trump went from saying his war goals in Iran had been achieved and he’d soon be winding down, to issuing a 48-hour ultimatum for Tehran to either open the Strait of Hormuz or see the US bomb its power plants, starting with “the biggest.”
The US president has a decidedly mixed record on carrying through with threats — and this time was no different. On Monday he moved his deadline back by five days, saying on social media that he was in “VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING A COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF OUR HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST.” We’ll see. Trump said the US was in talks with a top official, which Iran’s state media denied, and that a deal might leave him in joint control of Hormuz. Neither side’s statements can be taken at face value and the threat posed by his ultimatum remains.