“I could take out Iran in one day”: Trump threatens again

• US President Trump warned he could destroy Iran’s entire civilian energy infrastructure and power grid in a single day.
• Trump declared that either all ships will be granted safe passage or none will, preventing Iran from selectively selling oil.

United States President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran during a recent interview with Fox News, claiming he could completely dismantle the country's energy infrastructure in a single day while fiercely defending his administration's planned blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The “All or None” mandate for Hormuz

During the interview, Trump emphasized that Iran will not be permitted to selectively control maritime traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. 

He declared a strict "all or none" policy, insisting that either every commercial vessel is granted safe passage through the waterway, or none will be allowed to pass at all.

Read more: Trump orders Hormuz blockade, says Iran refuses nuclear deal

"We’re not going to let Iran make money on selling oil to people that they like," Trump followed, doubling down on his economic pressure campaign. "It’s going to be all or none, and that’s the way it is."

Expanding the Venezuela playbook

The US President compared the upcoming military and economic operation in the Middle East to the blockade previously imposed by the US on Venezuela. However, he noted that the action against Iran will be conducted on a significantly larger scale. 

Furthermore, Trump suggested that the blockade and the resulting disruption to global oil markets would ultimately benefit the US economy, driving more international tankers to the United States to purchase oil.

Threats to civilian energy infrastructure

Escalating his rhetoric amid the ongoing standoff, Trump explicitly threatened to target and destroy Iran's civilian energy sector and power grid if the situation deteriorates further.

Highlighting the impact such an attack would have on the nation, he claimed: "I could take out Iran in one day… I could have their entire energy, everything, every one of their plants, their electric generating plants, which is a big deal."

Read more: Iran says US “double standards” hinder nuclear talks

Preceding blockade announcement

Trump's television remarks directly follow a series of lengthy statements he posted earlier on social media. In those posts, the US President officially ordered the immediate naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after 20-hour diplomatic negotiations in Islamabad reached an impasse over Iran's refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

Declaring the US military fully "locked and loaded," He also issued a severe warning regarding the rules of engagement, stating that any Iranian forces who fire at US or peaceful vessels will be "blown to hell."