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Iran's Power Plants Remain on U.S. Target List as Tensions Mount Around Strait of Hormuz
At a glance
- •The Strait of Hormuz is critical to global oil and gas flows; roughly 20% of shipments pass through it.
- •Irans electricity system is heavily dependent on natural-gas power plants about 85% of generation per EIA estimates.
- •Iran operates 98 natural-gas power plants, with Damavand near Tehran the largest at around 2,868 MW capacity.
- •Strikes on energy infrastructure would carry major risks: humanitarian impact, regional escalation, and disruption to global energy markets.
- •The U.S. decision to delay strikes suggests a window for diplomacy, but the underlying leverage points remain unchanged.
Geopolitical Pressure Focuses on Energy Infrastructure
Less than 12 hours before a deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the White House announced a five-day delay of planned strikes on Iranian power plants. In a post on his social network, Trump said the postponement followed "productive" talks with Tehran, but stressed that Tehran must fully reopen the vital shipping lane for commercial traffic.
Washington's aim is to remove what it calls an effective Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point linking the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and gas shipments transit. Any sustained disruption in the strait risks immediate ripple effects across global energy markets and raises the prospect of further military escalation.
Where U.S. Pressure Could Be Applied
U.S. officials have signalled that Iranian energy infrastructure in particular natural gas-fired power plants remains a potential target if diplomatic pressure fails. Bloomberg data show Iran operates 98 natural gas power plants nationwide. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that gas-fired generation accounts for about 85% of the countrys electricity output, underlining how strikes on this sector could quickly cripple domestic power supplies and complicate Tehrans ability to keep the strait closed.
Among Irans largest facilities is the Damavand power plant near Pakdasht, roughly 50 kilometres southeast of Tehran, with an installed capacity of approximately 2,868 megawatts. Hitting large-scale generation hubs such as Damavand would have outsized effects on the national grid and could be used as leverage to force changes in Iranian behaviour regarding shipping in the Gulf.
Analysts warn, however, that attacks on energy infrastructure would be a high-risk tactic. Beyond immediate humanitarian and strategic consequences inside Iran, strikes could threaten global energy security by tightening physical oil and liquefied natural gas flows, driving volatile price moves in international markets and prompting broader regional retaliation.
For now, the U.S. has opted for a pause in kinetic action, citing diplomatic engagement. The delay leaves open the possibility of future strikes but also gives time for back-channel negotiations and international mediation. Energy markets and defense strategists will be watching closely: the status of the Strait of Hormuz and Irans power grid are both leverage points and potential trigger points for wider conflict, with substantial implications for global supply and prices.
