Trump Issues Ultimatum to Iran: Reopen Strait of Hormuz or Face Total Destruction

U.S. President Donald Trump set an 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time deadline on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and reach an agreement acceptable to Washington, threatening to destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran within four hours if the ultimatum is not met. Speaking at a nearly 90-minute press conference at the White House on Easter Monday, Trump said the USA could bring about "total destruction" of Iranian infrastructure once the deadline expires. "We have a plan based on the strength of our military," Trump said. "By midnight tomorrow, every bridge in Iran will be destroyed, every power plant will be out of service, in flames, exploding, and never able to be used again." The deadline, set for 2:00 a.m. Wednesday Central European time, came as the U.S. military was already pulling existing target lists to provide the president with options for strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, according to multiple U.S. officials cited by German news outlet N-tv. Trump also stated that the entire country "can be turned off in one night, and that night could be tomorrow." Critics in the United States warned that deliberate attacks on civilian power infrastructure could constitute war crimes under international law.

Pentagon cancels briefing as Hegseth vows largest strikes yet Pentagon officials canceled a press conference scheduled for Tuesday morning with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, without providing any explanation to press representatives. The cancellation came hours after Hegseth, speaking at the Easter Monday White House press conference, announced that American airstrikes would be significantly expanded. „At the President's direction, today will feature the greatest scale of attacks since the first day of this operation. Tomorrow even more than today.” — Pete Hegseth via N-tv Hegseth urged Iran to "choose wisely, because this President is not joking." Trump, for his part, insisted the Tuesday deadline was final and would not be extended, according to web search results citing Reuters. The U.S. military's preparation of target lists, confirmed by multiple officials, signals that planning for strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure is already at an advanced stage.

Iran dismisses threats, ceasefire proposal remains unaccepted Iran's military leadership rejected Trump's warnings outright, with Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for the Khatam-al-Anbiya command center, calling Trump's statements "arrogant rhetoric and baseless threats" and describing the U.S. president as "delusional," according to Iranian state media. Zolfaqari said the threats would not stop attacks against "American and Zionist enemies." Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei separately described U.S. demands as "excessive and unacceptable," according to the state news agency Irna. A 15-point U.S. plan demanding major concessions from Iran has been under discussion, with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey all serving as mediators between Washington and Tehran. Pakistani intelligence circles reported on Easter Monday that a plan for a 45-day ceasefire with peace talks had been presented to both sides, but movement toward agreement — particularly on reopening the Strait of Hormuz — appeared distant, according to watson.ch. Iran continued rocket and drone attacks on neighboring Gulf countries at the start of the week. The U.S. news portal Axios, citing four U.S., Israeli, and regional sources, reported that the proposed 45-day ceasefire represents the only remaining chance to prevent a dramatic escalation.

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IMF warns of global economic damage, NATO allies face Trump's anger IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warned that the war in the Middle East will drive up inflation and slow global growth, speaking ahead of a new IMF forecast. „If we didn't have this war, we would have seen a slight increase in our growth forecasts. Instead, all roads now lead to higher prices and slower growth.” — Kristalina Georgieva via N-tv Georgieva said that even a swift end to the war and a rapid recovery would still produce a small downward revision of the growth forecast and an upward revision of the inflation forecast. Without the war, the IMF would have anticipated a slight increase in global growth to 3.3 percent in 2026 and 3.2 percent in 2027. Trump also used the Easter Monday press conference to renew sharp criticism of NATO allies, calling the alliance a "paper tiger" and singling out Germany, Australia, South Korea, and Japan for failing to support the United States in the conflict. „I think this is a stain on NATO that will never go away.” — Donald Trump via N-tv NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is set to travel to Washington on Wednesday for talks with Trump. Richard Haass, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, said in an interview with NPR that if Trump's threats were carried out, the result would be "a catastrophe — not only for Iran, but also for the countries of the region, for the USA, and for the whole world," adding that the Strait of Hormuz would not be reopened and the nuclear challenge would not be resolved by such action.

2026: 3.3, 2027: 3.2

The U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran, designated Operation Epic Fury, began on February 28, 2026, with strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was subsequently appointed Supreme Leader on March 9, 2026. Iran responded by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which roughly a fifth of global oil trade passes. The conflict has drawn in regional actors and prompted mediation efforts by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, the Khatam-al-Anbiya spokesperson, had previously warned in March 2026 that vessels bound for U.S. or Israeli-aligned parties would be treated as legitimate targets.