US President Donald Trump on Monday intensified his threats to Iran, declaring the country could be “taken out in one night” during a White House , as his final Tuesday deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz fast approaches.
“The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump told reporters, following up on an expletive-laden Easter Sunday post on his Truth Social platform where he threatened Tehran with “Hell”.
“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***** Strait, you crazy b******s, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” was Trump’s ominous weekend warning.
“Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!,” he had added, setting the precise deadline for Iran to act.
During Monday’s briefing, Trump spelled out exactly what his ultimatum entails. He vowed that if no deal is reached, “” and “every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again”. He claimed the complete demolition would happen over a four-hour period, though he paradoxically added that the US “may even get involved with helping them rebuild their nation”.
Asked if he was concerned that striking civilian infrastructure would constitute war crimes, Trump shrugged off the notion, stating he was “not worried about it” and simply adding, “I hope I don’t have to do it”.
Iran defiant as deadline looms
Iran, however, responded with threats of its own, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf warning that the US president’s reckless moves would mean “”.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry pushed back against the threats, noting that diplomatic negotiations were incompatible with ultimatums and threats to commit war crimes, as European Union leaders and human rights experts warned that attacking civilian energy grids is illegal and unacceptable under international law.
US rescues missing airman, but at a cost
Trump opened his Monday press conference flanked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, using the briefing to detail the weekend’s action-packed extraction of a downed F-15E fighter jet crew member.
Calling the mission “one of the largest, most complex, most harrowing combat searches” ever attempted by the US military, Trump described his decision to authorize the rescue as “risky” and “hard”. While claiming that Iran “got lucky” when they shot down the jet with a shoulder-fired heat-seeking missile, he emphasized, “in the US military, we leave no American behind”.
As Trump celebrated the rescue, Iran claimed that several US aircraft were destroyed during the fierce operation, including two military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters. US officials later confirmed that American commanders had deliberately destroyed the stranded transport planes themselves to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands.
Oil markets upended
Amid the effective closure of the crucial Strait of Hormuz, continue to show a strong upward trajectory, with the Brent crude benchmark trading around the $110 per barrel mark by Tuesday.
Brent crude was priced significantly lower prior to the start of the war, but has surged dramatically since the US and Israel carried out strikes against Iran on 28 February, plunging the Middle East into chaos. The conflict prompted Iran to close off the Strait of Hormuz—a key waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil passes—sending Brent crude soaring past $126 per barrel at its peak earlier in March.
Diplomatic efforts, but no breakthrough
Amid the trading of threats, Trump offered mixed messages on diplomacy, stating he believes Iranian negotiators are acting in “good faith”. He called a recent presented by Pakistani mediators a “significant step,” though he noted Iran’s counter-proposal was “not good enough”.
A central sticking point remains the Strait of Hormuz. After days of flip-flopping on who should secure the waterway, Trump insisted Monday that any acceptable deal must ensure the “free traffic of oil”. In a characteristically unorthodox move, the president even floated the idea of the United States charging its own tolls or fees for ships passing through the strait once reopened.
Despite the diplomatic impasse, there has been minor movement in 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 to allow passage only for vessels from countries it deems friendly.
US-Iran war LIVE: Japan PM seeking calls with Iran Prez, Trump amid war
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tuesday that “arrangements” were being made for a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.
“I recall what I said yesterday was that we were making arrangements to do a telephone call with the Iranian president,” Takaichi said in parliament, as per a report by AFP.
“We have to communicate both with the US and Iran, so we are seeking telephone calls with the presidents of both countries,” she added.
US-Iran war LIVE: Tehran bureau chief of Japanese broadcaster NHK released by Iran
Iran freed a Japanese national held since January, reported news agency AFP citing Kyodo News.
The person released is believed to be the Tehran bureau chief of broadcaster NHK, the report added.
It was the second release after the Japanese government announced last month that another Japanese national was freed by Iran.
“The Japanese embassy in Iran has confirmed that a Japanese national who was detained by Iranian authorities on January 20 was released on April 6 local time,” government spokesman Minoru Kihara said.
US-Iran war LIVE: CENTCOM shares photo of B-2 bomber preparing for a bombing run
US-Iran war LIVE: Hegseth compares Easter rescue of US airman to resurrection of Christ
The rescue of an American airman shot down over Iran on Easter Sunday has become the latest flashpoint in a deepening theological debate over the US-Israeli war, after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly likened the operation to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Hegseth offered a striking retelling of the rescue mission, framing it in explicitly Christian terms. The F-15E fighter jet, he noted, was “shot down on a Friday — Good Friday,” the day Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus. After ejecting, the airman spent the night sheltering in hiding, “in a cave, a crevice, all of Saturday,” Hegseth said, before being extracted at dawn on Easter Sunday.
“A pilot reborn, all home and accounted for, a nation rejoicing,” the defence secretary declared. “God is good.”
US-Iran war LIVE: Israeli air defences engaging missiles launched by Iran
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that its air defences had been activated in response to missiles fired by Iran, shortly after it announced that it had launched a “wave” of air strikes on Iran.
“A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said on its official Telegram channel.
US-Iran war LIVE: ‘Iran will be decimated’ — Trump reminds Tehran of Hormuz deadline
President Donald Trump on Monday threatened Iran with sweeping military action if Tehran fails to reach an agreement with the United States by his Tuesday night deadline.
“We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night,” Trump said, describing the scale of potential US strikes. “Every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again … complete demolition,” he added.
About the Author
Shiladitya Ray specializes in covering geopolitics and science, and believes in communicating complex information through accessible, compelling, and if possible, visually engaging narratives. He has nearly 10 years of experience in digital media, and has been an Associate Editor with Mint for five months.<br><br>
Shiladitya holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Jadavpur University, and two master’s degrees in Development Studies and Sociology from TISS, Hyderabad and Delhi School of Economics respectively.<br><br>
Shiladitya has also completed a Data Journalism fellowship with Google News Initiative (GNI), where he was a standout performer. He was subsequently invited as a speaker to GNI’s AI Skills Workshop held in 2025, where he shared his previous work and experience in leveraging generative AI tools for data visualization with an audience of senior newsroom editors.<br><br>
Prior to joining Mint, Shiladitya was a Chief Sub-Editor with Deccan Herald, and has previously worked for digital media startups NewsBytes and Opoyi. He has also served as an academic editor for Cactus Communications, where he worked with scholars on manuscripts meant for journal publication.<br><br>
Shiladitya is based out of Delhi, is an avid reader, and has a keen interest in world affairs, science, philosophy, music, and football.
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