Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on March 22 that any US strike on Iranian power plants would trigger the irreversible destruction of energy and oil infrastructure across the entire Gulf region, in a direct response to a 48-hour ultimatum issued by President Donald Trump.

"Immediately after power plants and infrastructure in our country are targeted, critical infrastructure and energy and oil infrastructure across the entire region will be considered legitimate targets and will be irreversibly destroyed, and oil prices will remain elevated for a long time," Ghalibaf wrote on X.

The threat by the defacto military leader goes further than any previous Iranian warning. Tehran has already demonstrated its willingness to strike Gulf energy assets, hitting Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG terminal and knocking out 17% of capacity with repairs expected to take three to five years.

Ghalibaf's statement came in response to Trump's post on Truth Social earlier on March 22, in which the US president demanded Iran fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.

"If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!" Trump wrote.

Iran's largest power station is believed to be the Damavand Combined Cycle Power Plant on the outskirts of Tehran. Trump did not specify whether the Bushehr nuclear power plant would be included. A missile struck 200 metres from the Bushehr reactor on March 18, prompting Rosatom to warn of a potential nuclear catastrophe.

The IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency reported that Iranian military officials separately warned they would hit US energy assets across the Persian Gulf if power plants were attacked.

Retired US Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis warned the ultimatum could backfire, saying it risked deepening the Hormuz blockade rather than breaking it.

The 48-hour deadline, if enforced, would expire on March 24. The conflict is now in its fourth week. Tanker traffic through the strait has fallen by roughly 90%, with Iran operating an IRGC-controlled corridor charging vessels up to $2mn for passage.