Trump Issues Another Ultimatum to Iran for Talks, Iran Rejects Calling US “Helpless and Nervous”
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 5: The Israel-US-Iran conflict has entered its 37th day on Sunday with no signs of slowing down with the US President Donald Trump issuing a stark warning to Iran saying attacks would intensify if Tehran did not agree to a peace deal within 48 hours and Iran rejecting the ultimatum as one “helpless and nervous.”
“The doors of hell will be opened to you” if Iran’s infrastructure is attacked, General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi of Iran’s joint military command said in response to Trump’s renewed threat. In turn, he threatened all infrastructure used by the US military in the region.
Mr Trump at the same time also expressed the belief that there was a “good chance” of making a deal with Iran on Monday, ahead of his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face heavy bombing. “I think there is a good chance tomorrow, they are negotiating now,” the president said. “If they don’t make a deal and fast, I’m considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil.”
He also made an expletive-laden post on social media demanding Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” Trump said on Truth Social, the microblogging platform owned by him.
Trump’s post came as Iran showed no signs of backing down, striking economic and infrastructure targets in neighbouring Arab countries in the West Asia. With Iran continuing to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz, Trump had earlier threatened to unleash “all hell” if it isn’t opened by Monday. He has issued such threats before and extended them when mediators have claimed progress toward ending the war on agreeable terms.
Trump’s abusive post also came after he announced that US special forces rescued a service member missing behind enemy lines since Iran downed a fighter jet. The airman’s extraction followed a search-and-rescue operation after the Friday crash of the F-15E Strike Eagle. Iran had promised a reward for anyone who turned in an “enemy pilot.” Trump said the airman was injured but in stable condition.
“We have rescued the seriously wounded, and really brave, F-15 Crew Member/Officer, from deep inside the mountains of Iran. The Iranian Military was looking hard, in big numbers, and getting close. He is a highly respected Colonel. This type of raid is seldom attempted because of the danger to man and equipment,” Trump said on Truth Social.
“It just doesn’t happen! The second raid came after the first one, where we rescued the pilot in broad daylight, also unusual, spending seven hours over Iran. An AMAZING show of bravery and talent by all! I will be having a News Conference, with the Military, at the Oval Office, on Monday, at 1:00 P.M. God Bless our great MILITARY WARRIORS!” A second US airman was rescued earlier. The fighter jet was the first American aircraft to have crashed in Iranian territory since the US and Israel launched the war, striking Iran on February 28.
Trump said last week that the US had “decimated” Iran and would finish the war “very fast.” Two days later, Iran shot down two US military planes, showing the ongoing perils of the bombing campaign and the ability of a degraded Iranian military to continue to hit back.
Israel struck a petrochemical plant in Iran that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said generated revenue that it had used to fund the war. The petrochemical industry is a key sector in many Gulf States. Plants in Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE and Iran convert oil and gas into products like plastics, polymers and fertilizer, bringing in billions in export revenue.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint for commercial trade, especially oil and gas moving from the Gulf to Europe and Asia. Disruptions there have injected volatility into the market and pushed oil and gas-importing countries to seek alternative sources.
The response from General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, representing the “Khatam al-Anbiya” Central Headquarters, comes after Trump wrote on Truth Social that “all hell reign down” on Iran if a peace deal is not reached and the critical checkpoint Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
Abdollahi warned that any US or Israeli strike on Iran’s infrastructure would be met with “devastating and continuous” attacks on all US military assets in the Middle East and on Israeli infrastructure, per Fars news agency. “After having admitted successive defeats, the aggressive and warmongering president of the United States has, in a desperate, nervous, unbalanced and foolish move, threatened (to target) Iran’s infrastructure and national assets,” he said. He said the Iranian armed forces would not hesitate “for a moment” to defend the country’s rights and protect national assets and “will put the aggressors in their place.”
An Iranian security official has also said Tehran was moving forward in the ongoing war according to its plans and “specific target bank” and warned of “a big surprise” in store for the USA and Israel. In a statement the official said the USA’s “target bank is inaccurate” and dismissed Trump’s threats to strike bridges as “laughable,” arguing they were a response to the “failure of American military operations” including the downing of its warplanes. The official added, “We have learned well in asymmetric warfare how to wear down the enemy. America has failed in its strategy of clean, quick, and easy attack.”
