After Trump posted “Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!” on Saturday, Iran’s central military command issued a response.
General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi called the threat a “helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action” and matched the religious language with his own. “The simple meaning of this message is that the gates of hell will open for you.”
A senior national security official went further, saying, ‘Iran will send you and your soldiers straight to the depths of hell where you’ve always belonged. Glory be to God.’
Iran will send you and your soldiers straight to the depths of hell; where you’ve always belonged.
Glory be to GOD! pic.twitter.com/uTsVNSjbLZ— ابراهیم عزیزی (@Ebrahimazizi33) April 4, 2026
Two sides, one weekend, both invoking God and hell on a 48-hour deadline. The diplomacy is not going well.
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Behind the scenes, indirect negotiations have been grinding along through Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey for the past ten days. Vice President Vance has been leading the American side. Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has been the main Iranian interlocutor, with Pakistani military chief Field Marshal Asim Munir serving as mediator. White House envoy Steve Witkoff is also involved.
Two sources familiar with the talks told Axios that mediators are still trying to get the two sides to meet directly. They have not yet managed it.
Meanwhile, the deadline is tonight at 8 p.m. ET.
Trump told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday that if Iran does not comply by Tuesday evening, “they won’t have any power plants and they won’t have any bridges standing.” He confirmed the US would destroy “every power plant” in the country.
Targeting civilian infrastructure is a war crime under international law. Over 100 legal experts signed a letter last week saying exactly that.
Senator Lindsey Graham spoke to Trump on Saturday and posted on X afterward. “After speaking with President Trump, I am completely convinced that he will use overwhelming military force against the regime if they continue to impede the Strait of Hormuz and refuse a diplomatic solution,” Graham wrote. “If it’s not clear to Iran and others by now that Trump means what he says then I don’t know when it will ever be.”
I just had a great conversation with @POTUS. I totally support his ultimatum to the Iranian regime to open up the Strait of Hormuz and to do a peace deal.
A massive military operation awaits Iran if they choose poorly.
This regime has been severely crippled through Operation…
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) April 4, 2026
The economic stakes are not abstract.
The Strait blockade costs international trade an estimated $480 million daily. The UAE Ministry of Defense said Saturday its air defenses had engaged 23 ballistic missiles and 56 drones from Iran in a single day.
Since the war began, the UAE has intercepted nearly 500 ballistic missiles, 23 cruise missiles, and more than 2,100 drones. Iranian drones hit Kuwait’s petroleum facilities. Iran said it exempted Iraq from Strait restrictions but maintained the blockade against all countries it considers hostile.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s president, Austan Goolsbee, said Sunday that the war in Iran risks fueling inflation and making interest rate cuts in 2026 harder to deliver. Before the war began, he was confident the Fed could cut rates this year. That confidence is gone.
At least 365 American service members have been injured in the conflict, according to newly released Pentagon figures.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
