While Trump reiterated his warnings if Tehran opens the Strait of Hormuz, a spokesman for Iran’s military leadership derided these as “baseless threats” from a “delusional” president. This threatens to escalate the war.
April 7, 2026, 7:36 a.mApril 7, 2026, 7:36 a.m
What’s new?
There are no signs of an agreement in the Iran war shortly before an ultimatum from US President Donald Trump to Tehran expires.
US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with the destruction of all bridges and power plants within hours of his ultimatum expiring. The US could bring about “complete destruction” within four hours, Trump said in the White House. The deadline he set for Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz expires at 2 a.m. on Wednesday night according to German time.
Donald Trump threatens Iran.Image: keystone
About his threatened destruction of Iranian bridges and power plants, Trump said he didn’t want that to happen. But at the same time he emphasized:
“We have a plan.”
In this case, every power plant will go off the grid, burn, explode and can never be used again. Shortly before, he had already threatened:
“The entire country can be eliminated in one night, and that night could be tomorrow.”
How does Iran react?
Iran’s Deputy Sports Minister Alireza Rahimi called on artists and athletes to form human chains at power plants across the country at noon local time today. “We will stand hand in hand to say: Attacks on public infrastructure are a war crime,” wrote Rahimi on the X platform.
Demonstrators in the Iranian capital Tehran.Image: keystone
Khatam al-Anbiya command center spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari said, according to state media, that the “rude, arrogant rhetoric and baseless threats of the delusional US president” would not stop Iran’s attacks against the “American and Zionist enemies.” Ali-Akbar Welajati, foreign policy adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, wrote on Meanwhile, Iran continues to attack Gulf states with US bases.
What are the chances of a ceasefire?
Pakistani intelligence circles said on Monday that both sides had been presented with a plan for a 45-day ceasefire, during which peace talks would be held and an agreement would be proposed. In the contacts, the USA insisted that Iran open the Strait of Hormuz, which is important for the global oil and gas market, before announcing a ceasefire. Tehran rejected this condition.
Iran does not want to open the Strait of Hormuz.Image: keystone
Iran rejects a ceasefire. According to state broadcaster Irib, Tehran handed the mediators a ten-point paper with its own demands such as an end to the war, war reparations and the complete lifting of economic sanctions against the country.
The Revolutionary Guards, who are actually in charge in Iran, are also demanding the right to uranium enrichment, the withdrawal of all US bases from the Persian Gulf and Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz. A US official described Iran’s response as “maximalist”, wrote the reporter for the US news portal “Axios” Barak Ravid on
Why is the Trump administration facing a dilemma?
Danny Citrinowicz, one of the leading Iran experts, wrote on Even serious attacks on Iran’s infrastructure “would not lead to surrender.” They would provoke retaliation, strengthen the resolve of the Iranian leadership and likely trigger escalation throughout the region. “The assumption that pressure alone can break Tehran is not a strategy, but wishful thinking,” he wrote.
The Trump administration faces a dilemma in the Iran war.Image: keystone
Joseph Webster, an energy expert at the US think tank Atlantic Council, said attacks on Iran’s energy and other civilian infrastructure would do little damage to the country’s military capabilities. “However, they would cause significant harm to the Iranian civilian population,” the US think tank quoted him as saying on X.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon quickly canceled a press conference scheduled for today with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chief of Staff Dan Caine without giving a reason.
How is the United Nations reacting?
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the US and Israel to refrain from attacks on Iran’s power plants and other civilian infrastructure. Such attacks would violate international law, said his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric. “Even if certain civilian infrastructure could be classified as a military target, international humanitarian law would still prohibit attacks on it” if “excessive” harm to civilians was to be expected. It is “high time” for the war to end.
UN Secretary General António Guterres.Image: keystone
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is expected to vote today (5 p.m. CEST) on a draft resolution from Bahrain to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The draft calls on affected states to coordinate their defensive measures to help ensure shipping safety, diplomats said. To do this, Iran should stop its attacks on merchant and cargo ships. A previous version of the document explicitly referred to Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which grants the Security Council the authority to take measures ranging from sanctions to military force. The representatives of Russia and China, for example, resisted this, it was said.
After the war started by Israel and the USA on February 28, Tehran virtually brought shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to a standstill with attacks and threats. Because the strait is central to global oil and gas trade, energy prices shot up.
(dab/sda/dpa)