Trump's Ultimatum to Iran Over Strait of Hormuz: Open It Quickly or Face Hell!
US President Donald J. Trump issued a terrifying threat laced with expletives on Sunday (5 April 2026). Trump warned Tehran that it has until Tuesday night to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, or the United States will raze all power plants and bridges in the country.
This harsh threat was conveyed by Trump via his Truth Social media account, emphasising that the US military is prepared to take extreme action if his demands are not promptly met. Trump shifted the deadline from Monday to Tuesday night in that highly aggressive post.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all combined into one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open that damn Strait, you crazy bastards, or you will live in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise the Lord. President DONALD J. TRUMP,” Trump wrote, as quoted by The Guardian.
Trump then reinforced the deadline for his attack in a follow-up post on the same day. He provided a very specific time for Iranian authorities to submit to Washington’s will or face the total destruction of their national infrastructure.
“Tuesday, 8:00 PM Eastern (Coast) Time!” Trump added in the subsequent post to clarify the ultimatum’s duration.
Despite issuing open threats of war, Trump signalled a possible peaceful agreement in his interview with Fox News. He stated that negotiations are actually underway, but he is still preparing the most radical option to secure energy resources.
“There is a good chance for a deal on Monday. If they do not make a deal quickly, I am considering blowing everything up and taking the oil,” Trump said in the interview.
Trump even bluntly admitted that he was behind the destruction of the 136-metre-high B1 suspension bridge worth US$400 million (Rp6.8 trillion) last Thursday. He deliberately ordered the attack as a form of intimidation because he felt Iran was stalling in the negotiation process.
“But then they said they would meet us in five days. So I said, ‘Why five days?’ I felt they were not serious. So I attacked the bridge,” Trump concluded when speaking to Axios.
In response to the series of threats, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf warned that the reckless actions of the US President would only bring destruction to the entire Middle East region. He emphasised that Trump’s bluffs would drag America into a highly dangerous situation.
“Your reckless steps are dragging the United States into a REAL HELL for every family, and our entire region will burn because you insist on following Netanyahu’s orders. Do not be mistaken: you will gain nothing through war crimes. The only real solution is to respect the rights of the Iranian people and end this dangerous game,” Ghalibaf wrote on his social media account.
Sharp criticism also came from within the United States, where Senate Minority Leader from the Democratic Party, Chuck Schumer, described Trump’s actions as uncontrolled. Schumer deemed the threats against civilian infrastructure launched by the president as severely damaging to the nation’s dignity.
“Happy Easter, America. As you go to church and celebrate with friends and family, the President of the United States is ranting like an uncontrolled madman on social media. He is threatening potential war crimes and alienating allies. This is him, but this is not who we are. Our country deserves much better,” Schumer stated firmly via platform X.
In line with Schumer, international law expert from Yale University, Oona A. Hathaway, issued a warning from the perspective of war legality. According to her, attacks on civilian targets as planned by Trump are clearly a serious violation of international law.
“If this threatened attack is actually carried out, it would be a war crime. Tormenting civilians for bargaining purposes is an illegal act under the law,” Hathaway said.