US President Donald Trump follows up with a provocative post towards Iran.Image: keystone
The US President withdrew from the public on Saturday. At the same time, rumors of failed negotiations were already increasing in Pakistan. Then Trump came back onto the scene – with a new threat. An overview.
April 5, 2026, 3:06 p.mApril 5, 2026, 3:06 p.m
Simon Maurer / ch media
Trump’s ultimatum: does it apply this time?
The US President gave the Iranian leadership a deadline a few days ago. “I will suspend the destruction of the Iranian power plants until Monday, April 6th, 8 p.m. (Swiss time: Tuesday morning, 2 a.m.),” he said. If a peace agreement is not reached by then, the USA threatened massive attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure.
On Sunday, Trump reiterated his threat – and sharpened the tone. «Open the damn straits, you crazy bastards, or you’ll live in hell – just wait and see! Praise be to Allah,” he wrote on Truth Social. And announced that Tuesday could now become “Power Plant Day”. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also spoke of the possibility of bombing Iran “back to the Stone Age.” Iran has already announced massive retaliation if the US actually implements its plans.
Trump has already postponed the deadline twice – but this time there is evidence to suggest that he is serious about it. Contrary to his usual routine, he did not travel to his Florida estate on the weekend, but remained in Washington and did not attend any public appointments. This is a typical pattern before important strategic decisions. In addition, new US forces have now arrived in the region and are ready to fight.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.Image: keystone
Is a negotiated peace possible in Pakistan?
On Saturday, various media outlets reported, citing sources involved in the negotiations, that no agreement could be reached at the conference of four foreign ministers in Pakistan. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry immediately denied the rumors and stated that negotiations were continuing.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragachi also spoke out. On X he wrote that Iran’s position was portrayed in a distorted manner. “We are grateful to Pakistan for its efforts and have never refused to go to Islamabad for negotiations.” However, Iran is not officially at the table in Pakistan; neither the USA nor Iran are negotiating directly. Instead, the talks are being conducted indirectly by the foreign ministers of friendly countries.
However, there is hardly any sign of a breakthrough so far: US Vice President JD Vance, who is leading the negotiations on behalf of the US side, has not yet flown to the talks. Instead, he appeared as a guest on several American TV shows this week and announced that he would travel to Budapest next Tuesday to support Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ahead of the Hungarian elections.
US Vice President JD Vance.Image: keystone
How are the Gulf states reacting?
Nervousness is growing in the Gulf and in the Arab world. Saudi Arabia is increasingly toughening its rhetoric towards Iran and is said to at least tolerate US threats behind the scenes. The United Arab Emirates is also increasingly opposing the Iranian leadership. This is causing additional tension in the region. There were violent protests in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday: demonstrators attacked and partially damaged diplomatic facilities in the United Arab Emirates.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the incidents. In a statement it said it condemned “the riots, attacks and attempted damage to property at the headquarters of the embassy of the friendly United Arab Emirates as well as the unacceptable insults to their national symbols.” The events underline how quickly tensions in the region can erupt even outside of state actors.
At the same time, several Gulf states are preparing specifically for possible military consequences. Countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have reportedly increased security precautions for critical infrastructure – particularly oil and gas facilities. “The Ministry of Defense reiterates that it is fully prepared and ready to respond to any threats,” the Emirates said in a press release. (aargauerzeitung.ch)