Donald Trump has threatened to ship Iran “back to the stone ages” with a barrage of assaults on civilian targets if his closing deadline to make a deal on opening the Strait of Hormuz will not be met.
Speaking at a press convention on the White House on Monday, the US president reconfirmed his supposed closing ultimatum of Tuesday at 2000 Eastern Time [0100 GMT] for Iran to make a deal.
He mentioned the US plans to “decimate” each bridge in Iran by midnight, “where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again”.
When questioned over considerations of accusations of battle crimes if the US widens its assaults on this manner, Mr Trump responded: “No, not at all.” Asked why Iranians would need him to hold out the menace, he mentioned residents are “willing to suffer… in order to have freedom”. “I hope I don’t have to do it,” he added.
He even appeared to widen his menace from civilian targets to the entire Islamic Republic as his ultimatum ticked nearer. “The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” Mr Trump mentioned.
“Today will be the largest volume of strikes since day one,” US defence secretary Pete Hegseth added. “Tomorrow, even more than today.”
Mr Trump additionally criticised Nato for not serving to the US with its battle in opposition to Iran, saying he’s “very disappointed” within the alliance, as he went on to take one other shot on the UK.
Meanwhile, Israel piled on strain by attacking a significant fuel discipline that’s Iran’s largest supply of home vitality.
The warnings come after Iran rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and mentioned it needs a everlasting finish to the battle.
Tehran conveyed its 10-point response by Pakistan, a key mediator, together with proposals on reconstruction and the lifting of sanctions, Iran’s state-run IRNA information company reported.
“We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of Iran’s diplomatic mission in Cairo, advised the Associated Press, including that Iran now not trusts the Trump administration after the US bombed the Islamic Republic twice throughout earlier rounds of talks.
Iran’s overseas ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei earlier advised journalists that messages had been being exchanged with mediators however “negotiations are entirely incompatible with ultimatums, crimes and threats of war crimes”.
Iran’s supreme chief Mojtaba Khamenei warned that “assassinations and crimes” is not going to disrupt Iranian armed forces in a publish on Telegram.
Egyptian, Pakistani and Turkish mediators had despatched Iranian overseas minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff a proposal calling for a 45-day ceasefire and the reopening of the strait, two Middle East officers advised the Associated Press.
Iran’s grip on the strait, by which a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped in peacetime, has shaken the world financial system, and Tehran has refused to let US and Israeli vessels by after they began the battle on 28 February.
Earlier on Monday, Mr Trump addressed an Easter occasion on the White House garden and recommended that future assaults might go additional.
“If I had my choice, what would I like to do? Take the oil,” he added. He additionally claimed Iranians “want to hear bombs because they want to be free”.
Israel mentioned it struck a key petrochemical plant within the South Pars pure fuel discipline and killed two paramilitary Revolutionary Guard commanders, together with its intelligence chief, on Monday, with the purpose of eliminating a significant income for Iran. The discipline, the world’s largest, is shared with Qatar and is vital to electrical energy manufacturing for Iran’s 93 million inhabitants, however the strike gave the impression to be separate from Mr Trump’s threats.
A earlier Israeli assault on the sphere in March prompted Iran to focus on vitality infrastructure in different Middle Eastern nations, a significant escalation.
Meanwhile, explosions boomed in Tehran and low-flying jets could possibly be heard for hours.
Among these killed was the pinnacle of intelligence for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Major General Majid Khademi, in keeping with Iranian state media and Israel’s defence minister.
More than 1,900 folks have been killed in Iran because the battle started, however the authorities has not up to date the toll for days.
In Israel, Iranian missiles hit the northern metropolis of Haifa, the place 4 folks from one household had been discovered useless within the rubble of a residential constructing.
In Lebanon, the place Israel has launched air assaults and a floor invasion that it says targets the Iran-linked Hezbollah militia, an airstrike hit an residence in Ain Saadeh, a predominantly Christian city east of Beirut. More than 1,400 folks have been killed in Lebanon and greater than 1 million folks have been displaced.
Separately, Kuwait, the UAE and Saudi Arabia activated air defences to intercept Iranian missiles and drones. In G ulf Arab states and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, greater than two dozen folks have died, whereas a minimum of 23 have been reported useless in Israel and 13 US service members have been killed.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/donald-trump-iran-war-middle-east-conflict-us-b2952535.html