Trump: Iran will return to the Stone Age and we will charge shipping fees in the Strait of Hormuz
2026-04-06 19:23, updated 2026-04-06 21:34
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2026-04-06 19:23
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2026-04-06 21:34
The United States is entering a decisive phase of confrontation with Tehran, threatening to reduce Iran to rubble in just one night. While Donald Trump gives an ultimatum from Tuesday to Wednesday and declares his readiness to take control of transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz, the Pentagon launches an unprecedented wave of airstrikes. These are the last hours for a diplomatic exit from the crisis, in which the American administration makes it clear: the time for concessions is running out.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran could be destroyed overnight and threatened that it could be on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. The ultimatum he gave to the authorities in Tehran expires on Tuesday evening.
“The entire country could be destroyed in one night, and that night could be tomorrow,” Trump said during a press conference at the White House. He recalled that the ultimatum for Iran expires on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern time (2 a.m. in Poland). If Iran does not reach an agreement, it will have no power plants, no bridges and will return to the Stone Age – threatened the US president. He noted that the Americans could destroy all Iranian bridges and power plants within four hours, i.e. until midnight (Eastern American time) from Tuesday to Wednesday.
At the same time, he assured that he would prefer not to do this and emphasized that talks with Iran were ongoing. He also added that he hoped that the Iranians were negotiating in good faith.
The US and the authorities in Tehran reject the 45-day ceasefire
Iran sent Pakistan a response to the US proposal to end the war, but rejected the idea of a ceasefire and emphasized the need to permanently end the conflict, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported on Monday.
According to the agency, Iran's response consists of 10 points, including: the demand to end conflicts in the Middle East region, the protocol for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as provisions relating to the need to lift sanctions imposed on Tehran and rebuild the country.
Earlier, CNN reported, citing a White House representative, that US President Donald Trump also did not agree to a 45-day ceasefire.
The proposal for a 45-day truce and opening of the Strait of Hormuz was prepared by mediators. The plan was sent on Sunday evening to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff. The authors of this concept hoped that a 45-day truce would allow negotiations to end the war.
Pakistan, Egypt and Türkiye are acting as mediators in the conflict, but peace talks stalled last week.
Trump: We can charge fees for using the Strait of Hormuz
Trump stressed that part of the agreement with Iran must include a guarantee of the free flow of oil. He stressed that opening the Strait of Hormuz is a “big priority.” He declared that The Americans won the war, so they, not the Iranians, can charge ships for using this waterway in the future.
During a press conference, the president revealed details of the search and rescue operation involving the crew of the F-15 fighter downed over Iran. He informed, among other things, that 155 planes took part in the operation to save the second crew member.
– It was largely a trick. We wanted them to think that (this soldier) was in another place because they had a huge military force there. Thousands of people were looking for (him). – reported the president.
Trump said that during the mission, the US military blew up its own planes rather than leaving them in Iran. The armed forces used two “pretty old” planes to transport equipment, but the planes got stuck in wet sand, Trump said. The officer was transported from Iran on board a helicopter. The leader assured that no American soldiers were harmed during the rescue operation.
The president also expressed his belief that God supports American actions against Iran.
Trump: Putin is not afraid of NATO, only the USA
The head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, also spoke at the conference and announced that on Monday, American forces would carry out the largest number of attacks on Iran since February 28, i.e. since the beginning of the operation.
– Today will be the highest number of attacks since the first day of this operation, and tomorrow there will be even more of them than today – Hegseth threatened. – Iran will have a choice. Choose wisely, because this president (Donald Trump – PAP) is not joking – said the Minister of Defense (War).
Trump repeated his disappointment with NATO and reiterated his opinion that the Alliance is a paper tiger. He also complained about Australia, Japan and South Korea for “failing to help” the US in the war with Iran.
At the same time, he praised the countries of the Persian Gulf region: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait. He also spoke positively about the Alliance's Secretary General, Mark Rutte, with whom he is to meet on Wednesday in Washington.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not afraid of NATO. He is afraid of us, very afraid of us. He explained it to me many times, Trump added.
– If you want to know the truth, it all started in Greenland. We want Greenland. They don't want to give it to us. And I said: bye – that's how the president of the United States ended his press conference.
Mojtaba Khamenei: Attacks on commanders and officials will not change our course
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Sunday that the attacks on Iranian commanders and officials will not change the course of the country's policy. In his opinion, these actions reflect the repeated failures of the United States and Israel.
In a statement published via the Telegram messenger and issued in connection with the death of the intelligence commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Majid Khademi, Khamenei assured that his death would not affect the “close formation” of the Iranian armed forces.
Khamenei described the attacks by the United States and Israel as “crimes against humanity” and accused the countries of violating international law. He also criticized world institutions for remaining silent and “in some cases for complicity in fueling the conflict.”
Mojtaba Khamenei took over as Iran's supreme spiritual and political leader, replacing his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28, on the first day of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Since his election on March 8, Mojtaba Khamenei has not once appeared in public.
From Washington Natalia Dziurdzińska (PAP)
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