President Trump has issued multiple deadlines and extensions to Iran regarding the Strait of Hormuz. On Saturday, he added a fresh 48-hour warning, misspelled for emphasis.
“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday morning. “Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!”
He meant rain. Not reign. The spell check did not catch it. The threat was still unmistakable.
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The April 6 deadline at 8 p.m. ET is the third version of the same threat. Trump first warned he would destroy Iran’s power plants if the Strait was not reopened. Then he paused that threat for five days. Then he extended it by ten more days at Iran’s request. “They asked for seven, and I said, ‘I’m going to give you 10,’ because they gave me ships,” he explained.
The ships he referenced were a handful of tankers Iran allowed through as a gesture during talks. The Strait itself remains closed. One-fifth of the world’s oil supply still is not moving.
Striking power plants would likely constitute a war crime. Over 100 legal experts signed a letter saying exactly that. International law prohibits attacks on objects indispensable to civilian survival. The Trump administration has not addressed the legal question.
Iran’s response to the 15-point US peace proposal went nowhere.
Tehran called it “extremely maximalist and unreasonable” and sent back five conditions of its own, demanding an end to all US and Israeli strikes, war reparations, sanctions relief, and formal recognition of Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. That last condition is roughly the opposite of what Trump wants.
The economic picture has not improved.
Gas hit $4.10 a gallon nationally, up 37% since before the war began. Brent crude surged to $106 a barrel. Analysts warn prices could hit $150 to $200 a barrel if the blockade holds.
A French ship became the first Western vessel allowed through the Strait on Friday, after France’s Macron criticized Trump’s approach and called for serious negotiations. Iran signaled it was open to dialogue with countries it considers neutral.
Two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the war according to the AP-NORC poll. Republicans are increasingly souring on it too. Many of them voted for Trump specifically because he promised no new wars.
Trump insisted at a Cabinet meeting Thursday he was not desperate. “I read a story today that I’m desperate to make a deal. I’m the opposite of desperate. I don’t care.”
The deadline is Monday at 8 p.m. A US crew member is still missing after Friday’s F-15 shootdown. Iran has not reopened the Strait. US intelligence told Reuters that two thirds of Iran’s missiles remain intact, contradicting Trump’s repeated claims that Iran’s arsenal has been destroyed.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
