WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — At war with Iran, President Donald Trump is cycling through an increasingly desperate list of options as he searches for a solution to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. He has jumped from calls to secure the waterway through diplomatic means to lifting sanctions and now escalating to a direct threat against civilian infrastructure in the Islamic Republic.
Trump and his allies insist they were always prepared for Iran to block the strait, yet the Republican president’s erratic strategy has fueled criticism that he is grasping for answers after going to war without a clear exit plan. On Saturday came his latest attempt, via an ultimatum to Iran: Open the strait within 48 hours or the United States will “obliterate” the country's power plants.
Trump’s aides defended the threat as a hard-edged tactic to press Iran into submission. Opponents framed it as the failure of a president who miscalculated what it would take to get out of a geopolitical mire.
“Trump has no plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, so he is threatening to attack Iran’s civil power plants,” said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass, adding: “This would be a war crime.”
“He’s lost control of the war and he is panicking,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., responding to Trump's post.
Over the course of about a week, Trump has repeatedly shifted his approach on the crucial waterway for global oil and gas transport. There is growing urgency for Trump as soaring oil prices rattle global markets and pinch American consumers months before pivotal midterm elections.
Trump tried his hand at a diplomatic solution last weekend when he called for a new international coalition to send warships to the strait.
Allies turned him down. Trump then said the U.S. could manage on its own. On Friday he suggested other countries would have to take over as the U.S. eyes an exit. Hours later he indicated the waterway would somehow “open itself.”
“You can’t all of a sudden walk away after you’ve kind of created the event and expect other people to pick it up,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. told ABC's “This Week.”
Trump's Treasury Department on Friday made its latest attempt to get a handle on soaring gas prices, by lifting sanctions on some Iranian oil for the first time in decades. That relieved some of the pressure that Washington traditionally has used as leverage against Tehran.
The goal was to send millions more barrels of oil into the global market. It is not clear, however, how much of a dent that would make in lowering pump prices or how the administration could prevent Iran from cashing in on the renewed sales.
The administration earlier temporarily lifted sanctions on some Russian oil.
Trump's ultimatum, conveyed while he spent the weekend in Florida, carries a threat of remarkable aggression. His previous messaging mostly focused on U.S. success in hitting Iran’s air force, navy and missile production. This time, the threatened target is the energy infrastructure that powers hospitals, homes and more.
His social media post — 51 words, much of it in capital letters — did not have the appearance of a message that underwent the careful legal scrutiny needed to justify an attack on civilian infrastructure, said Geoffrey Corn, a law professor at Texas Tech University and a retired lieutenant colonel in the Army who served as a military lawyer.
“It certainly has a feeling of ready, fire, aim,” Corn said of Trump’s moving strategy.
“He overestimated his ability to control the events once he unleashed this torrent of violence.”
That type of widespread attack would probably be a war crime, Corn said. For military leaders, it could force a choice between obeying an order to carry out a war crime or refusing and facing criminal sanction for willful disobedience, he said.
Laws governing warfare do not explicitly forbid attacks on power plants, but the tactic is allowed only if an analysis finds that the military advantages outweigh the civilian harm, legal scholars say. It is seen as a high bar to clear because the rules of war are, at their core, designed to separate civilian and military targets.
Iran’s U.N. ambassador, in a letter to the Security Council, warned that the deliberate targeting of power plants would be inherently indiscriminate and a war crime, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
The White House has already faced intense backlash after the U.S. was blamed for a missile strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed more than 165 people.
Trump provided scant detail on which plants might be targeted and how. He gave Iran until Monday to reopen the strait or else the U.S. will strike “various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”
Trump’s team came to his defense Sunday, offering justification for striking Iran’s energy grid.
Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Iran’s Revolutionary Guard controls much of the country’s infrastructure and is using it to power the war effort. He said potential targets include “gas-fired thermal power plants and other types of plants.”
Speaking on Fox News, Waltz said he wanted to get ahead of “hand-wringing” from the global community, calling the Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. “The president is not messing around,” he said.
NATO's secretary-general, Mark Rutte, who has allied himself closely to Trump, tried to calm tensions. He said he understood Trump's anger and stressed that more than 20 countries are “coming together to implement his vision” of making the strait navigable as soon as possible.
Israel's ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, cautioned against an all-out attack like the one Trump threatened. “We want to leave everything in the country intact, so that the people who come after this regime are going to be able to rebuild and reconstitute,” he told CNN's ”State of the Union."
Trump's threat could prove counterproductive: If it's carried out, Iranian leaders said they would completely close the strait and retaliate against U.S. and Israeli infrastructure.
Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report.
FILE - Liberia-flagged tanker Shenlong Suezmax, carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia, that arrived clearing the Strait of Hormuz, is seen at the Mumbai Port in Mumbai, India, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File)
Cargo ships sail in the Arabian Gulf towards Strait of Hormuz in United Arab Emirates, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo)
A cargo ship carrying vehicles sails through the Arabian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz in the United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo)
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The cheers were back for Vinícius Júnior at the Santiago Bernabeu after the Real Madrid forward scored twice in a 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid on Sunday, keeping his team in the thick of the La Liga title race.
Vinícius had to endure jeers from Madrid's fans earlier this season following the firing of coach Xabi Alonso and some embarrassing losses.
But as the results have improved, so has Vinícius’ reception from Madrid’s supporters. Madrid has reached a high mark under new coach Álvaro Arbeloa with the win over Atletico — after a humiliating 5-2 loss in September — and the elimination of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Champions League.
And Vinícíus has rightfully gotten some credit for the team’s recent improvement in form as he had helped to lead Madrid along with midfielder Federico Valverde, with stars Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham out injured.
Vinícius converted a penalty in the 52nd minute to cancel out Ademola Lookman’s first-half opener for Atletico before the speedy Madrid forward grabbed the winner with a curling strike in the 72nd.
“Another great game by Vini, it was an example of his character, his talent. It was a great goal that gave us a win in a difficult moment. I am lucky to have him on my team,” Arbeloa said. “We remain in the league fight. Mission accomplished.”
Surprisingly, the goals were Vinícius’ first against Atletico in La Liga after 12 scoreless derbies for the player. He had scored once before against Atletico in the Copa del Rey.
“I have worked hard all season for games like this,” Vinícius said. “I don’t know why, but when this time of the season arrives the goals and assists just flow.”
Madrid had to hold on for the last 12 minutes when Valverde, who had scored to make it 2-1 before Nahuel Molina leveled for Atletico, got a direct red card for a tough-looking challenge on Alex Baena, who in 2023 accused Valverde of assaulting him after a game.
The sending off almost cost Madrid when Julian Álvarez got free and hit the post with 10 minutes to play.
But Arbeloa’s team saw out the final minutes to ensure second-place Madrid stayed within four points of Barcelona with nine games remaining.
Lookman made it five goals since joining Atletico from Atalanta in the winter transfer window when Giuliano Simeone used an exquisite touch of the side of his boot to leave the Nigeria striker free to score in the 33rd.
Madrid had to wait until after the break to quickly turn things around. Vinícius equalized from the spot after Brahim Díaz was fouled in the box by David Hancko. Valverde then won the ball from José Giménez and made it 2-1 in the 55th, extending his league scoring run to three straight games in addition to his recent hat trick against City.
Atletico had looked finished but Molina came off the bench to lash in a long strike in the 66th before Vinícius restored Madrid's advantage for good. He came in from the left flank and curled home the decider as Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal cheered from the VIP section of the Santiago Bernabeu.
“We could have done more in attack, and hopefully that can serve us for important games ahead,” coach Diego Simeone said, referring to Atletico’s upcoming Champions League quarterfinal matches against Barcelona and its Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad.
Bellingham played the final 15 minutes in his first action since injuring a hamstring in his left leg in February.
Mbappé went on in the 64th as he works his way back into form following a knee injury.
Neither side had its top goalkeeper between the posts with both out injured. Andriy Lunin started for Madrid in place of Thibaut Courtois, while Juan Musso was in for Atletico’s Jan Oblak.
Barcelona edged Rayo Vallecano 1-0 at Camp Nou earlier Sunday to keep up its winning form before the international break.
Ronald Araújo headed in the game's only goal in the 24th from a corner kick, and goalkeeper Joan García's impressive performance showed why he is most likely heading to the World Cup with Spain.
“This is why we bought him,” coach Hansi Flick said about García. Barcelona paid crosstown rival Espanyol 25 million euros (now $28.9 million) for García last summer.
García was included in Spain’s squad for the first time on Friday ahead of two friendly matches which will serve as warmups for this summer’s World Cup.
Alaves achieved one of the club's most memorable wins after it erased a three-goal deficit at Celta Vigo to secure a 4-3 victory.
Opta Statistics said that was the first time a team has won on the road after trailing 3-0 in La Liga this century.
“I have never been part of a comeback like this,” said new Alaves coach Quique Sánchez Flores, who was in his third game in charge.
Also, Athletic Bilbao beat Real Betis 2-1 in the first match since Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde said he would leave the Basque club at the end of the season.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Atletico Madrid's Ademola Lookman, left, celebrates with Koke, centre, and Julian Alvarez after scoring the opening goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates after scoring his side's first goal the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Real Madrid's Federico Valverde celebrates after scoring his side's second goal the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Barcelona's head coach Hansi Flick returns the ball during a La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona's Raphinha in action during a La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona's Ronald Araujo celebrates after scoring during a La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona's Ronald Araujo celebrates after scoring during a La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Barcelona's Ronald Araujo celebrates after scoring during a La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
