Trump Threatens Iran Civilian Strikes Over Hormuz Standoff

The Strait of Hormuz crisis entered its most dangerous diplomatic moment since the conflict began on February 28 as US President Donald Trump issued a stark ultimatum on social media on Sunday, threatening to target Iranian power plants and bridges if the strait is not reopened by a self-imposed Monday deadline — declaring that Tuesday would mark ‘Power Plant Day’ and ‘Bridge Day’ in Iran. The threat escalates the conflict to a new threshold: targeting civilian infrastructure would represent a significant broadening of the US military campaign beyond the military and nuclear targets struck in the original Operation Epic Fury.

Simultaneously, in what appears to be a dual-track pressure-and-incentive strategy, the United States has significantly expanded its maritime insurance backstop to USD 40 billion — a massive financial shield designed to restore commercial shipping confidence through the strait and encourage ship operators to resume Hormuz transits despite the ongoing war-risk environment. By underwriting the insurance gap that has made Hormuz commercially unviable for most vessel operators since war risk P&I coverage was withdrawn on March 5, Washington is attempting to separate the commercial shipping resumption question from the diplomatic ceasefire question.

Oman-Iran Direct Talks on April 4

While Trump issued threats, Oman was conducting quiet but consequential diplomacy. The Sultanate of Oman and Iran held a high-level meeting on April 4 involving deputy foreign ministers and technical experts, according to Oman’s Foreign Ministry, focused on identifying practical options to maintain uninterrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Oman — which shares the Strait’s southern coast with Iran and has historically served as a discreet back-channel between Tehran and Western governments — is uniquely positioned to broker a maritime arrangement that allows commercial shipping to resume without requiring a formal ceasefire or face-saving diplomatic formula between Iran and the US.

The combination of Trump’s threats, the $40B insurance backstop, and Oman’s direct talks suggests that behind the escalatory public rhetoric, the basic framework for a Hormuz shipping deal may be closer than the headlines suggest. For India — which joined the UK-led 60-nation diplomatic talks on April 2 and has maintained its own direct channel with Tehran — the Oman-Iran talks and US insurance expansion both represent welcome developments that could lead to the release of the remaining Indian energy vessels still stranded in the Gulf and a resumption of the crude, LPG, and LNG flows that India’s economy urgently needs.

Green Sanvi: Latest Indian LPG Carrier to Clear Hormuz

On the operational side, the Indian LPG carrier Green Sanvi has successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz and is en route to India, Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi announced on April 4, describing the transit as a ‘victory of Indian diplomacy.’ The Consulate General of Iran in Mumbai responded by emphasising the deep historical and cultural ties between India and Iran — a diplomatic signal that Iran continues to view its safe passage accommodation for Indian vessels as a relationship investment rather than a mere commercial transaction. The accumulation of successful Indian vessel transits — six ships to date including the LPG carriers Jag Vasant, Pine Gas, and now Green Sanvi — demonstrates that India’s dual-track approach of bilateral Iran engagement combined with multilateral Hormuz diplomacy is producing tangible results for Indian energy security.