Iran power plants' locations that Donald Trump threatens to strike if Strait of Hormuz is not opened. Why are these important to Russia?

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to strike power plants located in Iran if Tehran does not reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, vital to global oil supplies, by Monday night. Iran has more than 90 power plants, some of them on the Gulf coast at the heart of the hostilities that began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Tehran.

Power Plants in Iran

About 38 percent of its electricity comes from combined-cycle plants, followed by gas-fired stations at 26 percent. Renewables make up 13 percent of output and nuclear energy only about one percent, according to the state IRNA agency, citing officials in December 2024.


Iran currently has just one operational nuclear power plant at Bushehr, with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts -- only a fraction of the country's needs.

Largest Power Plants in Iran

The country's largest power plant is in Damavand, on the outskirts of Tehran province. It covers around 193 hectares and generates roughly 2,900 megawatts of electricity, according to MAPNA, a company involved in the construction of power plants and energy infrastructure.

The second largest is the Shahid Salimi Neka plant, in northern Mazandaran province, with a capacity of 2,214 megawatts. The third, the Shahid Rajaee Combined Cycle Power Plant, is in northern Qazvin province, with a total capacity of 2,042 megawatts.

Importance of Iran's Power Plants

An arid country, Iran regularly faces drought and sweltering summers, which push up electricity demand for air conditioning. Despite its vast oil and gas resources, the country suffers from energy shortages due to ageing infrastructure and international sanctions. Iran therefore sometimes has to ration electricity for lack of sufficient gas and fuel to run its plants.

Russia Helped build Power Plants

Iran and Russia signed a $25-billion deal in September 2025 to build four nuclear plants in southern Iran, each with a capacity of about 1,255 MW, according to IRNA.