Energy Expert: Bombing Power Plants Won't Defeat Iranian Military, Civilians Suffer
Former President Trump reiterated his ultimatum to Iran, threatening to bomb its infrastructure if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Energy strategist Umud Shokri stated that Iran's power system, with its wide geographical distribution and diverse generation sources, is considerably resilient to localized disruptions. While attacking power plants would cause widespread blackouts, critical services could rely on backup generators, though not long-term. Targeting military facilities without affecting civilian power is deemed very difficult.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 7, 2026 at 15:11
- 🔍 Collected: April 7, 2026 at 16:00 (49 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 12:40 (188h 40m after Collected)
Trump today reiterated his ultimatum, demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8 PM ET on the 7th (8 AM on the 8th, Taipei time), or he would bomb Iranian infrastructure, stating, "The entire country will be destroyed in one night, and that night could be tomorrow night."
He said, "With the strength of our military, we can destroy every bridge in Iran, shut down, burn, and explode all power plants by tomorrow night at 12 AM, never to be used again. I mean, if we want to, by tomorrow night at 12 AM, it will be total destruction, and all of this can be done within 4 hours."
The Wall Street Journal quoted Umud Shokri, an energy strategist and senior visiting fellow at George Mason University, as saying that Iran's power system's wide geographical distribution, diverse generation sources, and interconnected design make it considerably resilient to localized disruptions.
Iran's power grid relies almost entirely on fossil fuels, consisting of about 150 power plants, most of which generate electricity from natural gas. However, Iran's 15 to 20 largest power plants combined account for no more than 15% of the country's total power generation.
Shokri stated that if these power plants were attacked, it would almost certainly cause rolling blackouts nationwide. Power demand in large cities would be prioritized, and critical services like hospitals and water supply systems could operate on backup diesel generators, but not for the long term.
Potential targets include: Damavand and Rudeshur power plants in Tehran, Shahid Salimi power plant in Neka, a city on the Caspian Sea coast, Shahid Montazeri power plant in Isfahan, and power plants in the strategic port city of Bandar Abbas and along the Persian Gulf coast.
Shokri pointed out that destroying large power plants would require massive bombing operations, but Iran's power grid could still mitigate losses by reallocating electricity, and many military facilities also have backup generators or alternative power supply systems.
He said, "Theoretically, it is possible to target specific substations or transmission lines that supply power to military facilities, but in practice, it is very difficult to strike military targets individually without affecting civilian energy supply, because the system usually shares the same infrastructure for both military and civilian use."
EU officials warned that if Trump bombs power plants and bridges because Iran fails to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, it would constitute a war crime. (Compiled by: Chen Yi-Wei) 1150407
He said, "With the strength of our military, we can destroy every bridge in Iran, shut down, burn, and explode all power plants by tomorrow night at 12 AM, never to be used again. I mean, if we want to, by tomorrow night at 12 AM, it will be total destruction, and all of this can be done within 4 hours."
The Wall Street Journal quoted Umud Shokri, an energy strategist and senior visiting fellow at George Mason University, as saying that Iran's power system's wide geographical distribution, diverse generation sources, and interconnected design make it considerably resilient to localized disruptions.
Iran's power grid relies almost entirely on fossil fuels, consisting of about 150 power plants, most of which generate electricity from natural gas. However, Iran's 15 to 20 largest power plants combined account for no more than 15% of the country's total power generation.
Shokri stated that if these power plants were attacked, it would almost certainly cause rolling blackouts nationwide. Power demand in large cities would be prioritized, and critical services like hospitals and water supply systems could operate on backup diesel generators, but not for the long term.
Potential targets include: Damavand and Rudeshur power plants in Tehran, Shahid Salimi power plant in Neka, a city on the Caspian Sea coast, Shahid Montazeri power plant in Isfahan, and power plants in the strategic port city of Bandar Abbas and along the Persian Gulf coast.
Shokri pointed out that destroying large power plants would require massive bombing operations, but Iran's power grid could still mitigate losses by reallocating electricity, and many military facilities also have backup generators or alternative power supply systems.
He said, "Theoretically, it is possible to target specific substations or transmission lines that supply power to military facilities, but in practice, it is very difficult to strike military targets individually without affecting civilian energy supply, because the system usually shares the same infrastructure for both military and civilian use."
EU officials warned that if Trump bombs power plants and bridges because Iran fails to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, it would constitute a war crime. (Compiled by: Chen Yi-Wei) 1150407
FAQ
What warning did former President Trump issue to Iran?
He warned that if Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, he would bomb its infrastructure.
How resilient is Iran's power system to attacks?
It has considerable resilience to localized disruptions due to its wide geographical distribution and diverse generation sources, but widespread blackouts would be unavoidable.