U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to a 14-day extension of his military deadline against Iran after a public request from Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The reprieve comes just hours after Trump warned that an entire civilization could perish, sparking global condemnation and domestic calls for his removal. The extension is strictly conditional on Tehran's immediate and safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to international traffic.
Intense Military Pressure
Prior to the extension, U.S. and Israeli forces struck critical Iranian infrastructure, including the Kharg Island oil hub, bridges, and a railway station to signal resolve.
Domestic Backlash in Washington
More than 50 Democratic lawmakers have called for the invocation of the 25th Amendment, arguing Trump's apocalyptic rhetoric indicates an incapacity to serve.
Humanitarian and Legal Warnings
Pope Leo XIV and UN representatives have labeled the threats as unacceptable, with legal experts warning that targeting civilian power grids constitutes a war crime.
Iranian Civil Defense
President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed 14 million volunteers are ready to defend the nation, as citizens in Tehran form human chains around petrochemical complexes.
U.S. President Donald Trump agreed on Tuesday to extend his Iran ultimatum by two weeks after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif publicly requested more time for diplomacy, stepping back from a threat that "an entire civilization will die tonight" just over one hour before the 8 p.m. Washington time deadline expired. Trump posted on his Truth Social network that he would suspend bombing and attacks against Iran "for a period of two weeks," conditional on Iran giving its approval to the "full, immediate and safe opening" of the Strait of Hormuz. The extension marked the fourth time Trump had postponed an ultimatum since the conflict began, and the fifth deadline he had declared overall. Earlier in the day, U.S. forces struck two bridges, a train station, and military targets on Kharg Island, Iran's major oil hub, while Iran fired at Israel and Saudi Arabia, temporarily closing a major bridge.
Five deadlines, four extensions — Trump's ultimatum pattern The sequence of ultimatums and extensions stretches back to late March, when Trump first threatened to bomb Iranian electrical facilities. According to El País, Trump issued his first warning on March 21, setting a 48-hour deadline that expired March 23, then postponed action five days to March 27, then extended again by ten days to April 6, then by roughly 24 hours to April 8, before the latest two-week extension. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a press release, four hours before Tuesday's deadline, that Trump had been informed of Pakistan's proposal and would respond. Trump told Fox News he was in "intense negotiations," while telling NBC separately, when asked what he meant by threatening to kill "an entire civilization": „"You'll have to find out for yourselves."” — Donald Trump via La Sexta The White House also posted on X that "decades of Iran's terrorism will not continue under Trump's presidency." Iran, for its part, rejected the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal and stated it would not reopen the strait under "threats and ultimatums," warning that any attack would draw a response extending beyond its borders.
[{"dateISO":"2026-03-21","date":"March 21","title":"First ultimatum issued","description":"Trump threatens to bomb Iranian electrical facilities within 48 hours."},{"dateISO":"2026-03-22","date":"March 22","title":"First extension","description":"Trump postpones action five days, to March 27."},{"dateISO":"2026-03-27","date":"March 27","title":"Second extension","description":"Trump extends deadline by ten days, to April 6."},{"dateISO":"2026-04-06","date":"April 6","title":"Third extension","description":"Deadline moved roughly 24 hours to April 7, 8 p.m. Washington time."},{"dateISO":"2026-04-07","date":"April 7","title":"Fourth extension","description":"Trump agrees to two-week extension following Pakistan's proposal, conditional on Iran opening the Strait of Hormuz."}]
Pope, Democrats, and Iran's UN envoy condemn Trump's rhetoric The threat to destroy "an entire civilization" drew condemnation from multiple directions simultaneously. Pope Leo XIV described Trump's warning as "unacceptable," according to El País. More than fifty Democratic lawmakers in the United States publicly called for invoking the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, which would allow Trump's removal from office if the vice president declared him incapacitated and two-thirds of both chambers of Congress agreed. Iran's representative to the UN Security Council, Amir-Saeid Iravani, accused Trump of inciting "war crimes and a potential genocide" during a Security Council meeting on the Strait of Hormuz. „"Iran will not remain impassive in the face of such atrocious war crimes. It will exercise, without hesitation, its inherent right to self-defense and will adopt immediate and proportional reciprocal measures."” — Amir-Saeid Iravani via Associated Press Legal experts cited in reporting described Trump's "entire civilization" language as potentially constituting an announcement of genocide, while human rights organizations had already warned that threatening civilian infrastructure such as power plants and bridges constitutes a war crime under international law.
Iranians form human chains as nearly 40 days of strikes take their toll Inside Iran, the population responded to Tuesday's ultimatum with a mixture of fear, resignation, and defiance, according to reporting from Tehran by La Vanguardia. Many shops in central Tehran closed, with residents citing evacuation orders around the train station and the audible passage of missiles and fighter jets at low altitude over the city. Iranian officials urged young people to form human chains around power plants and other key infrastructure to deter attacks, and Iranian authorities distributed iodine tablets to residents near the Bushehr nuclear power plant. 14 million (people) — Iranians who volunteered to fight, per Iran's president The NGO Hnara, which has been investigating killings during the conflict, confirmed around 7,000 cases and reported it was working on at least 10,000 more. The conflict has now lasted nearly 40 days since Operation Epic Fury began on February 28, 2026, with U.S. and Israeli forces having struck Iranian bridges, power plants, airports, radar sites, and the oil infrastructure on Kharg Island, through which 90 percent of Iran's crude oil exports pass, according to La Razón. Despite the extension, Iran had not confirmed acceptance of the conditions as of the time of reporting, leaving the diplomatic outcome uncertain.
Mentioned People
- Donald Trump — 47. prezydent Stanów Zjednoczonych
- Shehbaz Sharif — Premier Pakistanu od 2024 roku
- Leo XIV — Głowa Kościoła Katolickiego i suweren Państwa Watykańskiego
- Masoud Pezeshkian — Prezydent Iranu od lipca 2024 roku
- Amir-Saeid Iravani — Przedstawiciel Iranu przy Organizacji Narodów Zjednoczonych
- Karoline Leavitt — Rzeczniczka Białego Domu
Sources: 50 articles
- Trump suspende los "bombardeos y ataques" contra Irán durante dos semanas tras un acuerdo con Pakistán (EL MUNDO)
- Trump acepta extender su ultimátum contra Irán por dos semanas (europa press)
- Trump acepta ampliar dos semanas su ultimátum a Irán a propuesta de Pakistán (LaVanguardia)
- Trump acepta prorrogar el plazo para negociar con Irán (EL PAÍS)
- Esperando el apocalipsis, por Jordi Juan (LaVanguardia)
- En busca de un acuerdo 'in extremis': "negociaciones intensas" entre EEUU e Irán en pleno cruce de ataques en Oriente Medio (LaSexta)
- El representante de Irán ante la ONU denuncia que Trump ha incitado a cometer "crímenes de guerra" (eldiario.es)
- Trump amenaza con matar "toda una civilización" mientras se consumen los plazos de su ultimátum a Irán (eldiario.es)
- A la espera de la "muerte de una civilización" (LaVanguardia)
- El día D de la guerra de Irán: Trump extrema su presión dialéctica y militar sobre Teherán (La Razón)