Iran says it won’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz after Trump’s 48-hour deadline
Iran is responding to President Donald Trump’s expletive-laden Easter Sunday threat to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In a social media post, the Revolutionary Guard said the Strait will “never return to its former state” and warned the U.S. and Israel that a new security order is in the works for the Persian Gulf.
And a new banner has gone up in Tehran’s Enghelab Square, reading in Persian, “The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed; the entire Persian Gulf is our hunting ground.” It is not clear who put it up.
Fighting continues as deadline looms
Trump gave Iran until April 6 to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with a warning of major consequences if it doesn’t happen.
As that clock ticks down, the U.S. and Israel are escalating strikes. Early Monday, U.S. and Israeli forces launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran, killing more than 25 people, including a top intelligence official in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
Iran responded with missiles of its own, firing on Israel and Gulf Arab states.
Iranian missiles hit the northern Israeli city of Haifa, killing at least two people in a residential building. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates all said Monday morning they activated their air defense systems to intercept Iranian missiles and drones.
Trump’s latest threat
Mediators with the U.S. and other countries are still working toward a ceasefire deal, but there are only hours left before President Trump says Iranians will be “living in Hell.”
In an expletive-laden threat on social media, Trump said that if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened by his deadline, “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran.”
The U.S. has already struck major infrastructure, including key bridges, following Trump’s address last week, where he said operations were nearing an end while also promising more strikes.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
