Donald Trump has issued an expletive-ridden Easter message in which he threatened more missile strikes against Iran and declared 'praise be to Allah'.
The US is currently at war with Iran and Trump recently declared he was going to rain down 'hell' upon the Iranians after they closed the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz through which 20 percent of the world's supply of oil and natural gas flows.
It's resulted in an increase in oil prices around the world, which has resulted in price rises for lots of other things, and Trump's attempts to stop the war he started in hopes of undoing some of the damage appear to have failed.
Now he's posted an Easter message on social media were he identified Tuesday (7 April) as the day he'd strike power plants and bridges in Iran, writing: "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!
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"Open the F**kin’ Strait, you crazy b*****ds, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP"
It's hardly a stellar example of international diplomacy, and it follows a previous ultimatum from Trump threatening Iran with severe action if they do not open the Strait of Hormuz.
He'd previously written: "Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT.
"Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them. Glory be to GOD! President DONALD J. TRUMP."
Trump has also claimed that the US is close to achieving its 'core strategic objectives', claiming that Iran's supplies of missiles had been 'decimated' and that over the next couple of weeks he would strike the country 'extremely hard' with a view to ending the war.
For Trump that means bombing Iran into the 'Stone Age' if they won't agree with a deal, and that includes hitting their energy infrastructure 'very hard, and probably simultaneously'.
Trump has made such threats before, only to appear to back down after Iran threatened to strike various targets across the gulf including desalination plants which supply water to several countries in the region.
Now he's making the same threats once more and has set Tuesday as his deadline for Iran to agree to his terms, and he's also called the Strait of Hormuz the 'Strait of Trump' in a speech where he once again complained about not getting the Nobel Peace Prize.
The US have been preparing for 'major escalation' in the region, though officials have stressed that doesn't include a total invasion of Iran.
Trump told Fox News he was considering 'blowing everything up and taking over the oil' if Iran didn't make a deal with him, but he claimed they were 'negotiating now' and there was a 'good chance' of securing an agreement.
Iranian officials have previously contradicted Trump's claims of negotiations, and have said they'll only reopen the Strait of Hormuz when ' portion of transit tolls is used to compensate for all the damage caused' by the ongoing war.
Topics: Donald Trump, Iran, World News, US News
Joe Harker