Four deadlines Trump has set Iran during war

U.S. President Donald Trump has issued several deadlines to Iran over more than five weeks of war, warning Tehran to fully reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane or face “hell” and overwhelming assaults on its civilian infrastructure.

Trump has given Iran until 8 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, a deadline that is fast approaching.

After that time, Trump said, the U.S. could strike bridges and power plants across Iran. The president has played down concerns that targeting such infrastructure could amount to war crimes. Iran, meanwhile, has promised a “devastating” response to attacks on civilian sites.

Trump appeared to hold firm on his Tuesday evening deadline when speaking with reporters on Monday, pledging that “every bridge in Iran will be decimated” within a few hours.

“They’re going to have no bridges. They’re going to have no power plants,” the president said.

He also said, “The entire country can be taken out in one night—and that night might be tomorrow night.”

In the same news conference, Trump said he believed Iranian officials were negotiating in “good faith,” while Tehran rejected a proposal for a 45-day ceasefire and called for sanctions to be lifted on the country alongside a permanent end to the conflict.

With hours to go before the timer expires, there’s still room for Trump to change his stance. In a little over two weeks, the president has given Iran at least four deadlines to allow all ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s refusal to let vessels it sees as aligned with the U.S. or Israel through the strait—which typically sees a fifth of the world’s oil and gas—has become one of its most effective tactics for hitting back at Washington since the U.S. and Israel began joint attacks on February 28. Global fuel prices have shot up, and markets are reeling as concerns over oil and gas supplies have grown.

Although maritime traffic through the waterway has dropped by 90 percent amid the conflict, Iran’s semiofficial Fars News Agency reported on Sunday that 15 ships had passed through the area with Iran’s permission in the previous 24 hours.

Deadline 1

Trump said on March 21 that he would “obliterate” Iran’s power facilities if ships could not pass through the Strait of Hormuz unscathed within 48 hours. Iran responded the following day by saying it would target energy and water facilities in Gulf states if Trump followed through on his threat.

Deadline 2

On March 23, the U.S. president said he would not order strikes on Iranian energy sites for five days, saying he had been swayed by “very good and productive conversations” with Iran.

Tehran denied it was negotiating with the U.S.

Deadline 3

On March 26, Trump announced a halt on the targeting of energy infrastructure for another 10 days after what he described as a request from the Iranian government. This set a new deadline of April 6.

On April 4, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iran had “48 hours” before he unleashed “all hell” on the country, a reminder of his April 6 deadline.

“Time is running out,” he said in the post.