President Donald Trump set a Tuesday deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to destroy all of the country’s power plants and bridges in an expletive-laden post on his Truth Social platform.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” Trump wrote on Easter Sunday. “There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The deadline is 8:00 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday. Trump later posted that exact time to his platform, confirming the new ultimatum after previously postponing deadlines several times. The original cutoff had been set for April 6.
Trump told Fox News there was a “good chance” a deal would be reached with Tehran, but said the US was prepared to consider “blowing everything up and taking over the oil” if no agreement materialized quickly.
Iran Rejects Ceasefire Proposal
Iran rejected a 48-hour ceasefire proposal from the United States, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Friday, citing an informed source. The proposal had been delivered through an intermediary nation on Thursday, April 2.
Gen Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi of Iran’s central military command called Trump’s ultimatum a “helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action.” He said the “gates of hell will open” for the US leader.
Mahdi Tabatabaei, a spokesman for Iran’s president’s office, said the Strait of Hormuz “will be reopened” when “a portion of transit tolls is used to compensate for all the damage caused” by the war. Iran has indicated it planned to charge ships to pass through the strait, a move the US has rejected.
The IRGC Military Council controls war decisions inside Iran, according to sources cited by regional media.
US Airman Rescued After F-15 Downed
Trump’s ultimatum came after the US military completed the rescue of the second crew member from an F-15E Strike Eagle that was shot down over Iran on Friday. The fighter jet, with the call sign Dude 44, was downed by Iranian air defenses while conducting operations over the country’s southwestern region.
The pilot was recovered by US forces on Friday. The weapons system officer remained missing for more than a day before a rescue operation extracted him in a mission lasting about eight hours. US A-10s and B-1 bombers struck Iranian targets, including a bunker where about 50 IRGC leaders were present, before special forces retrieved the airman.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the rescue mission, telling commanders: “Go get our boy. Godspeed.”
Military Situation
The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas shipments. Iran’s disruptions have pushed global oil prices sharply higher, stoking inflation concerns across major economies.
Trump has postponed Hormuz deadlines repeatedly. On March 21, he threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if the strait was not “FULLY OPEN” within 48 hours. He delayed that deadline twice more before the current Tuesday cutoff.
The war has lasted more than five weeks, with US and Israeli strikes met by Iranian drone and missile barrages targeting Gulf nations allied with Washington and Tel Aviv.
Saudi Arabia said its forces shot down seven ballistic missiles launched from Iran. The United Arab Emirates said its air defenses intercepted Iranian drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles. Bahrain’s interior ministry said warning sirens sounded in the Gulf kingdom.
In Israel, a residential building in Haifa was hit directly by a ballistic missile on Sunday. Four people were injured.
Israel also struck Iranian targets inside Tehran, including IRGC missile sites and petrochemical facilities that Tel Aviv says were used to produce explosives. US and Israeli strikes hit the Qasem Soleimani international airport in southwestern Iran on Sunday.
Israeli defense officials told US media the country was awaiting American approval to strike additional Iranian energy infrastructure.