IN BRIEF
- US special forces have rescued an airman in a high-risk mission deep inside Iran.
- Donald Trump has threatened to rain “hell” on Iran if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday.
On Easter Sunday, former U.S. President Donald Trump escalated tensions with Iran through a provocative message on social media. Trump threatened to target Iran’s infrastructure, specifically its power plants and bridges, if the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
Trump’s post on Truth Social declared, “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!” The post referred to the vital shipping route that Iran has effectively blocked following joint U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran over the past month.
In his heated message, Trump urged, “Open the F—-n’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH!” He concluded his Easter message with an unexpected twist, saying, “Praise be to Allah.”
Later that Sunday, Trump provided a specific ultimatum, stating, “Tuesday, 8:00 PM Eastern Time!” as the deadline for reopening the strait.
The White House did not respond to a question on whether Trump was indicating a time when the US would attack Iran.
It comes as US news website Axios reported the US, Iran and a group of regional mediators were discussing terms for a potential 45-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the war.
Axios reported the discussion on Monday, citing four US, Israeli and regional sources with knowledge of the talks.
The White House and the US state department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Iran says Trump ‘following Netanyahu’s commands’
In response to Trump’s threats, Iran demanded an end to hostilities and its parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said the US president was being misled by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Your reckless moves are dragging the United States into a living HELL for every single family, and our whole region is going to burn because you insist on following Netanyahu’s commands,” he posted on X.
Iran expanded attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure, launching drone and missile strikes on petrochemical facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
The Revolutionary Guards also said they hit an Israeli‑linked vessel at Dubai’s Jebal Ali port.
In Kuwait, drones sparked fires and caused “severe material damage” at petrochemical plants operated by affiliates of state oil firm Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, the company said.
The strikes underscored Iran’s ability to sustain cross‑border attacks and disrupt infrastructure across multiple Gulf states, exposing vulnerabilities in energy and maritime hubs.
US special forces rescue missing serviceperson
Trump’s threats follow an intense 48-hour rescue operation for two US pilots inside Iran.
Trump said in an earlier Sunday social media post that the second pilot rescued was “seriously wounded” and is a “highly respected Colonel”.
“The rescue was an Easter Miracle,” Trump said in a text message to US broadcaster NBC News on Sunday before heading to his Washington golf club.
“Such a rescue has never happened before in so violent an enemy territory.”
In at least seven Sunday interviews, Trump continued his threats against Iran as he pushed for concessions.
He told Fox News that Iran is negotiating and that a deal is possible on Monday, but if not, he will “take” the country’s oil.
In an interview with US broadcaster ABC News, Trump said the conflict should be over in days, not weeks, but if not, “we’re blowing up the whole country” and there is “very little” off the table.
Trump focuses on Iran infrastructure
Trump’s Easter warning targeting Iranian power plants and bridges follows a threat to hit desalination plants, which some international law experts said could violate international humanitarian law.
“I wouldn’t toy with him if I were the Iranians,” US House intelligence chairman Rick Crawford, an Arkansas Republican and US Army veteran, said on Fox News about Trump’s post.
“He has a lot of backbone, and he’s not going to be dissuaded.”
But others criticised Trump’s rhetoric for going too far.
US senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat on the armed services committee, urged Trump to “please dial back the rhetoric”.
On NBC, Kaine said Trump’s language was “embarrassing and juvenile” and raised the risk for US service members.
“Everyone in his administration that claims to be a Christian needs to fall on their knees and beg forgiveness from God and stop worshipping the President and intervene in Trump’s madness,” former US representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican who was one of Trump’s most vocal defenders before her recent resignation, said online about the president’s language.
In a statement posted on Instagram, the Council of American-Islamic Relations said: “The casual use of ‘Praise be to Allah’ in the context of violent threats reflects a disturbing willingness to weaponize religious language while simultaneously denigrating Islam and its followers.”
Search for survivors of Iran strike in Israel
Israeli firefighters were searching for three missing people in the rubble of a residential building in the northern city of Haifa after it was struck by an Iranian missile on Sunday local time.
The direct hit on a seven-storey building tore through parts of the structure, injuring four people, the military and rescue services said.
The strike took place minutes after the military warned it had detected a new round of missiles fired from Iran at around 1am Monday AEST.
The building was hit by a “direct impact of a missile”, a military spokesperson told Agence France-Presse, confirming the missile was fired from Iran.
Israel’s emergency service, Magen David Adom, said four people were wounded when the building sustained a direct hit.
Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services said firefighters were searching for three missing people “at the scene of a building that has partially collapsed”.
Iran has fired missiles daily at Israel since 28 February, in retaliation to joint US-Israeli attacks on the country that have killed several top Iranian leaders, including supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
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