President Donald Trump tonight delivered a sharp warning to Iran, demanding that it fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours or face severe U.S. military retaliation.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump made clear that failure to comply would trigger immediate action. “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.

Roughly an hour before that message, Trump pushed back forcefully against claims that U.S. operations had fallen short, asserting that American forces had already dealt a decisive blow to Iran. “the United States has blown Iran off of the map”, he wrote, dismissing critics who argued otherwise.

He continued by insisting that the campaign had exceeded expectations in both pace and impact. “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,” he wrote, adding, “Just like their incompetent Election coverage of me, The Failing New York Times always gets it wrong!”

The latest escalation follows comments Trump made on Friday indicating that U.S. forces are nearing their intended military objectives in the confrontation with what he called the “terrorist regime of Iran,” suggesting that operations could soon begin to wind down.

At the same time, Trump signaled that he is not interested in pausing the fighting at this stage. Speaking to reporters, he rejected the idea of a ceasefire, arguing that the current battlefield dynamics do not justify halting the campaign.

“I don’t want to do a ceasefire. You know you don’t do a ceasefire when you’re literally obliterating the other side,” he said.