American President Donald Trump at a press conference in the White House in Washington.Image: keystone
analysis
The US President describes in drastic terms how the war could continue if the regime in Tehran does not meet its demands.
April 7, 2026, 7:45 p.mApril 7, 2026, 7:45 p.m
The ultimatum that Donald Trump gave the Iranian regime expires on Wednesday night. If Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic, then an “entire civilization will die and never return,” the American president threatened shortly before. In his unprecedented statement, Trump also suggested that a “revolutionarily wonderful” negotiated solution was still possible at the last minute. These three scenarios are now conceivable.
Trump approves major attack against Iran
In recent days, the American president has described the extreme scenario in extraordinarily drastic terms. He said, for example: Iran could be bombed “back to the Stone Age”. Trump also called for the complete destruction of “every bridge” and “every power plant” in Iran if the regime ignores the ultimatum. This radical course is allegedly supported by the Iranian civilian population. In any case, Trump said that people are willing to suffer to regain their freedom.
Bret Baier: “I just got off the phone with the president. He called. He said ‘8pm is happening. If we get to that point, there is going to be an attack like they have not seen.’ He’s sticking to that at this point.” pic.twitter.com/e2nDIeSljq
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 7, 2026
The deliberate destruction of civilly used road bridges or power plants violates the laws of war. However, Trump has already rejected the argument that American armed forces could commit war crimes. «Do you know what a war crime is? Possession of a nuclear weapon,” he said on Monday.
That’s not true, and the statement doesn’t make any sense, since the USA has had nuclear weapons for a long time. However, according to the Geneva Conventions – and the corresponding American legal paragraphs – the targeted intimidation of the civilian population in the event of war is prohibited. There are only exceptions if civil facilities also serve military purposes. Meanwhile, the Iranian regime is also ignoring international law. In a video message, a high-ranking government representative called on the civilian population to form human protective shields around power plants.
Trump limits the attacks to a few targets
Already on Monday, American forces intensified air strikes against Iranian targets, following an announcement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Military installations on the island of Kharg, Iran’s most important oil export port, were hit. Meanwhile, the Israeli armed forces bombed individual civilian infrastructure facilities.
“This is a message to the Iranians,” said the White House. The targeted attacks were intended to increase pressure on the regime in Tehran to agree to serious peace talks – which, in the best case, could begin before the ultimatum expires. Trump seems to believe that he has already eliminated the radical forces that have dominated the country since the Islamic Revolution in the 1970s. The new leadership now has a unique opportunity, said the American President. The new people at the top of the regime are “smarter and less radical”.
The Iranian military leadership, however, publicly appeared unimpressed by this threat. A spokesman criticized the American president’s “rude, arrogant rhetoric” and announced retaliatory strikes. The regime had previously presented a ten-point plan to end the war. In it, Tehran calls for an end to all sanctions before the end of the Hormuz blockade is announced. The US rejected these ideas.
Trump is backing down – once again
The American president often creates a maximum threat in order to be able to sell even minimal concessions as a success. If, for example, the Iranians now promise to allow individual oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday or Thursday, Trump could declare this a victory. Politically, this would probably be the best solution for the president, as his Republican Party is suffering from rising energy costs.
However, this scenario still seems unlikely. Trump is “bloodthirsty,” they say in Washington, and behaves like a “rabid dog” behind the scenes, wrote the news portal Axios. The president, who used flimsy excuses to avoid active service in Vietnam in his youth, apparently enjoys the role of war strategist. In any case, on Monday he described the daring rescue operation for an American soldier as if it were a video game or an action film. His advisors told him that the mission was very dangerous and that hundreds of people could be sacrificed. “But I had the feeling that it would be worth it,” said Trump. (aargauerzeitung.ch)