Russia's Call Following Trump's Ultimatum to Attack Iran's Power Plants

US President Donald Trump has given an ultimatum to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has also threatened to destroy Iran’s power plants if the country does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. In response, Russia has called for two things related to the war in the Middle East, namely political and diplomatic resolution. Russia is pushing for the situation in the Middle East to calm down following the war triggered by the US-Israel attack on Iran on 28 February. “We believe that the situation should shift to political and diplomatic resolution,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov at a press conference, as quoted by detikNews on Monday (23/3/2026). “This is the only thing that can effectively contribute to de-escalating the tense situation that has now developed in the region,” Peskov added. Russia is known to have helped build Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant in Bushehr. They have also warned of attacks that could endanger the site after it was hit by projectiles, as announced by the UN nuclear watchdog last week. “This poses a very serious security threat if this trend continues,” said Peskov on Monday (16/3). “We consider attacks on nuclear facilities to be potentially very dangerous and fraught with consequences, possibly irreversible,” he added. Peskov said Russia continues to dialogue with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding the Bushehr power plant.