Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Trump has issued a new threat, warning Tehran that “the clock is ticking”.
On May 28, the war in Iran will have lasted three months.
And even though most of the fighting has ceased following an agreed ceasefire between the US and Iran, the global markets are still in turmoil because of the uncertainty surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
The narrow waterway is vital to global oil transport, with approximately 20% of all global oil trade sailing through the strait under normal circumstances.
The US and Iran are trying to reach a diplomatic end to the fighting, but so far no real progress has been made.
Donald Trump recently issued a new threat against Tehran, posting on Truth Social that “they better get moving FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them (…) TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”
Al Jazeera reports that a spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Defence said that the Iranian military is “fully prepared” to face any new attacks from the US and Israel, but a Trump ally now suggests that the US should ignore international law if new attacks are launched.
“The status quo is hurting us all”
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham wants the White House to take a much tougher stance against Tehran. He made his views clear during a Sunday appearance on NBC News‘ Meet the Press.
The Republican senator warned that the current diplomatic standoff is actively backfiring on the United States. He argued that the prolonged delay is only helping the opposing side build up its strength.
Graham told moderator Kristen Welker, “I think the status quo is hurting us all. The longer the Strait of Hormuz is closed, the more we try to pursue a deal that never happens, the stronger Iran gets.”
He then urged President Donald Trump to launch additional military strikes to weaken the regime. The senator insisted that its core goals of global terror and destroying Israel have never changed.
Their soft underbelly
In the interview with NBC News, Graham pointed to Iran’s energy infrastructure as “their soft underbelly”, stating that if the US starts attacking Iran again, energy facilities should be at the top of the target list.
When asked by the interviewer whether he was calling for strikes on the energy infrastructure, the senator replied, “Yeah,” and argued that the US needs to hurt the Iranian regime more.
In early April, Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director of Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns for Amnesty International, told The Guardian that targeting civilian infrastructure, including power plants, is generally prohibited.
In the interview, which focused on whether US strikes on Iranian civilian infrastructure could constitute war crimes, she explained that even when energy infrastructure may qualify as military targets, attacking power plants is still not allowed because of the disproportionate harm it can cause to civilians.
She said that such attacks could amount to a war crime — a principle underlined by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2024, when arrest warrants were issued for two senior Russian officials accused of directing Russia’s widespread attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Pain at the pump
The ongoing naval blockade in the Middle East has completely choked global shipping lanes. As a result, energy costs are reaching record levels.
According to NBC News, the average price of unleaded gas in the United States skyrocketed by 51% in just over two months. That spike directly followed the initial American military intervention against Iranian forces.
Graham brushed off the immediate economic pain, promising that aggressive action would quickly solve the issue. He told Welker, “Gas prices will come down when you put Iran in a box.”
However, diplomatic breakthroughs seem entirely out of reach. Iran’s foreign minister stated on Friday that his nation’s leaders have “no trust” in American negotiators.
Sources: NBC News’ Meet the Press, Fox News, Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Al Jazeera, Donald Trump Truth Social post, The Guardian
