Summary The spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, has said that the US president’s latest threats against Iran are “an indication of a criminal mindset”.
TEHRAN (Agencies) - The spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, has said that the US president’s latest threats against Iran are “an indication of a criminal mindset” and amount to an “incitement to war crimes and crimes against humanity”.
Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, a vital route for the world's oil and gas, since the start of the US-Israeli bombing campaign on Feb 28.
President Donald Trump on Sunday extended his ultimatum to Iran by one day, posting a message on Truth Social simply saying "Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!," shifting the deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face military strikes on its civilian infrastructure to 0000 GMT Wednesday.
The move comes as the more-than-five-week-old conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran shows no sign of resolution, with peace talks stalled and both sides hardening their positions.
Trump left no ambiguity about the consequences of non-compliance. In a separate, expletive-laden Truth Social post on Sunday, he warned that the day of the deadline "will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran," vowing that Tehran's energy grid and road network would be struck if the waterway remained closed.
He told the Wall Street Journal that "if they don't do something by Tuesday evening, they won't have any power plants and they won't have any bridges standing." Senior White House advisers and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have reportedly counseled Trump that Iran's power-generating facilities and bridges qualify as legitimate military targets because destroying them could degrade the country's missile and nuclear programs.
IRAN’S UN MISSION WARNS TRUMP THREATS COULD TRIGGER ‘ENDLESS WAR’
Iran’s mission to the United Nations on Sunday condemned US President Donald Trump’s threats to target Iranian infrastructure, saying he is seeking to push the region into an “endless war.”
“Once again, the US President openly threatens to destroy infrastructure essential to civilian survival in Iran. He stated that: ‘Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, there will be nothing like it!!!’” The Iranian mission said in a message on X.
“If the conscience of the United Nations were alive, it would not remain silent in the face of the overt and shameless threat by the war-mongering President of the United States to target civilian infrastructure. Trump seeks to drag the region into an endless war,” it added.
“This is direct and public incitement to terrorize civilians and clear evidence of intent to commit war crimes. The international community and all states have legal obligations to prevent such atrocious acts of war crimes. They must act now. Tomorrow is too late.”
The statement follows Trump’s expletive-laden attack on Iran, in which he renewed his threat to unleash heavy bombing on Iranian power plants and bridges if Tehran refused to unblock the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Since 28 February, US-Israeli strikes on Iran have killed thousands, while Tehran has retaliated by targeting energy infrastructure and restricting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, allowing passage only for countries it considers “non-hostile.”
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also reacted on X: “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 added, “Make no mistake: You won’t gain anything through war crimes. The only real solution is respecting the rights of the Iranian people and ending this dangerous game.”
