US President Donald Trump stepped up his threats against Iran on Monday, saying the country could be “taken out overnight” during a White House news conference as his Tuesday deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz fast approaches.
“The whole country could be taken out in one night, and that night could be tomorrow night,” Trump told reporters following an expletive-laden Easter Sunday post on his Truth Social platform in which he threatened Tehran with “hell.”
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day all rolled into one in Iran. There will be no such thing!!! Open the F***** strait you crazy b***s or live in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” read Trump’s ominous weekend warning.
“Tuesday, 20:00 EST!” he added, setting the exact deadline by which Iran must act.
During Monday’s briefing, Trump explained exactly what his ultimatum entails. He promised that if no deal was reached, “every bridge in Iran will be decimated” and “every Iranian power plant will be out of order, burning, exploding and never to be used again”. He claimed that total demolition would take place within four hours, though ironically added that the US “may even get involved in helping them rebuild their nation”.
Asked if he worried that strikes on civilian infrastructure would constitute war crimes, Trump shrugged off the idea, saying he was “not concerned about it” and simply added, “I hope I don’t have to do it.”
Iran is defying the looming deadline
However, Iran responded with threats of its own, with parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf warning that reckless actions by the US president would mean “our whole region will burn”.
Iran’s foreign ministry has since pushed back on the threats, noting that diplomatic negotiations are incompatible with ultimatums and threats to commit war crimes, as European Union leaders and human rights experts have warned that attacks on civilian power grids are illegal and unacceptable under international law.
The US rescues the missing airman, but at a cost
Trump opened his Monday news conference, which was led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, and used the briefing to detail the weekend’s eventful extraction of a downed F-15E fighter crew member.
Trump called the mission “one of the largest, most complex and harrowing combat searches” the US military has ever attempted and called his decision to authorize the rescue “risky” and “tough”. While claiming that Iran was “lucky” to shoot down the jet with a shoulder-fired missile, he stressed that “we will leave no American behind in the US military”.
While Trump celebrated the rescue, Iran claimed that several US aircraft, including two military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters, were destroyed in the wild operation. U.S. officials later confirmed that U.S. commanders deliberately destroyed the stranded airliners themselves to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands.
Oil markets rallied
Amid the effective closure of the key Strait of Hormuz, oil prices continue to show a strong upward trajectory, with benchmark Brent oil trading around the $110 per barrel mark through Tuesday.
The price of Brent oil was significantly lower before the start of the war, but has risen dramatically since the February 28 US and Israeli strikes against Iran, throwing the Middle East into chaos. The conflict prompted Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz – a key waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil passes – and Brent crude oil surged above $126 a barrel at its peak in early March.
Diplomatic efforts but no breakthrough
Amid trading threats, Trump offered mixed messages on diplomacy, saying he believed Iran’s negotiators were acting in “good faith.” He called the recent 45-day ceasefire framework put forward by Pakistani mediators a “significant step”, although he noted that Iran’s counter-proposal was “not good enough”.
The central point remains the Strait of Hormuz. After days of arguing over who should secure the waterway, Trump insisted on Monday that any acceptable deal must ensure the “free flow of oil.” In a characteristically unorthodox move, the president even floated the idea of the United States charging its own tolls, or fees, to ships passing through the strait once it reopens.
Despite the diplomatic impasse, there has been less movement on the vital waterway. Shipping data revealed that a select few vessels, including an Omani-operated tanker, have been granted safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, reflecting Iran’s strategic policy of allowing passage only to vessels from countries it deems friendly.
