Trump announces exact deadline he will unleash 'hell' on Iran after expletive-ridden Easter morning message
Donald Trump has said the US will destroy Iran's power plants and bridges if they fail to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his new deadline.
About one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait, which was fully open before Israel and the US attacked Iran on 28 February.
Following the conflict, however, traffic is down about 95 percent, causing global oil prices to rise.
Taking to Truth Social on Easter Sunday (5 April), Trump said Iran will be 'living in hell' if they don't open up by the Strait by Tuesday.
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"Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran," he wrote.
"There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F**kin’ Strait, you crazy b**tards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH!
"Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP. Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time."
Is Trump about to commit a war crime?
Luis Moreno Ocampo, founding chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), told the BBC that 'intentionally directing attacks at civilian objects... which are not military objectives' is a war crime.
It comes after the US President previously said that he doesn't 'need international law' and goes by his 'own morality'.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said 'this administration and the United States armed forces will always act within the confines of the law'.
"But with respect to achieving the full objectives of Operation Epic Fury, President Trump is going to move forward unabated," Leavitt added.
What has Iran said?
Iranian media says 15 ships passed through Strait in the past 24 hours, while parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf called Trump's threats 'reckless'.
“You won’t gain anything through war crimes,” Qalibaf wrote on X. “The only real solution is respecting the rights of the Iranian people and ending this dangerous game.”
When will the Iran war end?
A regional official briefed on the discussions thinks that a ceasefire may well be needed before discussions take place.
"For any discussion, there needs to be a cessation of hostilities. It needs cessation, because it is not there as we speak... Ceasefire may be a precondition," they told the BBC.
"To convey messages to Iran, getting a response in reasonable time is not possible. The average time of response has been a day or so."
Trump said if a deal wasn't made to re-open the Strait of Hormuz he was 'blowing up everything'.
Human rights group HRANA said 3,540 people have been killed since the start of the war.
Topics: US News, Donald Trump, Iran
Anish Vij