Iran has shown no sign of backing down from an escalating conflict with the US and Israel, as the minutes tick down to a deadline set by Donald Trump.
Just after 3pm on Saturday, the US president gave Tehran 48 hours to ‘make a deal or open up the Hormuz Strait’ – otherwise, ‘all Hell will reign down on them’.
He doubled down on the threats in an extraordinary social media post on Easter Sunday which also appeared to push the deadline back a day.
Trump wrote: ‘Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!
‘Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy b******s, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.’
In a follow-up post several hours later, he wrote: ‘Tuesday, 8:00P.M. Eastern Time!’
But today, the Iranians ramped up their own rhetoric in the face of the threats, saying their response to such attacks would be ‘much more devastating and widespread’ retaliation.
A statement from a spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central HQ, the top Iranian military command unit, said: ‘If attacks on civilian targets are repeated, the next stages of our offensive and retaliatory operations will be much more devastating and widespread.’
Legal experts have said deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, as Trump threatened to do in his post, is a potential war crime.
The US military destroyed Iran’s highest bridge last Thursday, with an Iranian official saying at least 13 civilians were killed and 95 injured in the attack.
Trump has also previously threatened to take out the country’s power plants, ‘starting with the biggest one first’ – a move that would make it difficult to quickly rebuild the country if the regime was to crumble.
His post on Truth Social yesterday suggested the president is growing increasingly frustrated over the damage to the global economy by Iran’s blocking of the Hormuz Strait.
The waterway is vital for international energy, but few tankers have been able to pass through since the beginning of March.
Iran’s Fars news agency, which has an affiliation with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said 15 ships were allowed to pass through safely in the past 24 hours.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said the Strait is only closed to ‘enemy countries’ and vessels belonging to allies would be permitted.
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