US President Donald Trump has sent out an expletive-laden threat against Iran’s infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened
Trump says “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one” in Iran if the key shipping lane is not reopened
He reiterates his earlier threat to unleash “hell” if the country does not meet his 6 April deadline – previous deadlines given by the president have shifted and Trump tells US media there’s a “good chance” of a deal being reached
The key battleground between the two countries may now be at sea, Orla Guerin writes, as she reports seeing ships at anchor close to the mouth of the strait
He had previously issued a deadline of 6 April for Iran to make a deal. In a new post on his Truth Social platform, Trump writes: “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!”
That’s 03:30 Tehran time on Wednesday (01:00 BST).
It’s not clear what Trump’s social media post is referring to. The BBC has asked the White House to clarify.
Trump has been speaking to a number of different US media outlets after threatening Iran’s infrastructure if the country doesn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Here’s what we’ve heard:
He told Axios that the US is “in deep negotiations” with Iran to make a deal. He says “there is a good chance, but if they don’t make a deal, I am blowing up everything over there”
He similarly told Fox News there is a “good chance” a deal will be reached tomorrow, but he is considering “blowing everything up and taking over the oil” if a deal to end the war is not reached quickly – as we reported earlier
Trump told the Wall Street Journal that if Iran want to keep the strait closed “they’re going to lose every power plant and every other plant they have in the whole country”
