Trump sends an ultimatum to Iran: If the Strait of Hormuz is not opened within 48 hours, 'the US will attack and destroy your power plants'

President Donald Trump issued a tough ultimatum on Saturday to Iran amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.

In a post on Truth, the U.S. leader publicly warned of possible military action if free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy routes, is not guaranteed.

"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! Thank you for your attention to this matter."

The message comes amid heavy Iranian strikes against Israel, which included ballistic missiles that failed to be fully intercepted by air defenses. According to various reports, the Iranian attack left more than 100 people wounded in southern cities such as Dimona and Arad.

Hours earlier, the U.S. president claimed that U.S. military targets in Iran had already been hit, even ahead of schedule, in response to The New York Times coverage of the conflict.

"The United States has blown Iran off of the map, and yet their lightweight analyst, David Sanger, says that I haven’t met my own goals. Yes I have, and weeks ahead of schedule! Their leadership is gone, their navy and air force are dead, they have absolutely no defense, and they want to make a deal. I don’t! We are weeks ahead of schedule. Just like their incompetent Election coverage of me, The Failing New York Times always gets it wrong!"

Trump's ultimatum to Iran comes amid peak volatility in oil markets and prices, which have driven a fuel spike virtually everywhere, including the United States. It also comes days after Israel carried out, without Washington's authorization, an attack on a major Iranian gas field that prompted, in turn, a reaction from Tehran, which struck in retaliation at the Qatari industrial city of Ras Laffan, damaging one of the Gulf State's most important energy hubs.

According to Trump, Qatar was unaware of the Israeli attack, and publicly called on Israel to no longer attack the South Pars gas field. It also threatened Iran with unimaginable retaliation should Tehran resort to another attack on Qatar.

This Saturday, in addition to Trump's ultimatum, more than 20 countries denounced Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and said they are prepared to contribute to ensuring safe navigation through this passage.

"We are ready to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the strait," the 22 countries, mostly European, said. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were also part of the group.