Washington DC: US President Donald Trump warned Iran in his latest salvo that time is ticking, and “hell will rain down on them” if Tehran does not adhere to his deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz.
“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will rain down on them. Glory be to GOD!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
Last month, Trump had expressed optimism about talks with Iran – which Tehran repeatedly denied – and extended the deadline to reopen the crucial waterway by 10 days, pushing it to April 6.
It remains to be seen if Iran gets rattled by Trump’s new threat. Going by the strong defiance shown by Tehran over the last five weeks — since joint US-Israeli strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28 and continued to rain missiles on Tehran and other cities – it’s unlikely that Iran will agree to an immediate ceasefire.
It raises the spectre of even more severe exchange of missiles and attacks in the next days and weeks, with Strait of Hormuz being at the centre of focus as one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through the narrow but critical passage.
