President Donald Trump has threatened major strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure and bridges ahead of his latest deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz.
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He used an expletive, referenced Islam, and described Iran’s leadership as “crazy bastards” in a Truth Social post Sunday, repeating past threats if Iran misses the deadline.
Trump has previously threatened to bomb Iran’s energy infrastructure before delaying action, citing what he says are ongoing negotiations. On March 21, Trump said Iran had a 48-hour deadline to open the strait “without threat,” or the U.S. would “hit and obliterate” its power plants.
He then extended an initial five-day deadline to April 6, before warning Iran on Saturday that it had 48 hours to make a deal or “all Hell will reign down upon them.”
An attack on civilian infrastructure can be considered a war crime under international law.
Responding to Trump’s post on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said rhetoric from the administration had been “embarrassing and juvenile.”
He told moderator Kristen Welker: “People see this president as having blundered into a war with no clear rationale, and there’s no amount of cursing or boasting or tough talk that will cover up for the fact that this president didn’t have a rationale and he doesn’t really have a plan.”
Iran has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a trade route through which 20% of the world’s oil passes, by striking ships in response to U.S.-Israeli attacks.
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Rising energy, shipping and fertilizer costs fueled by Tehran’s stranglehold on the Strait are already being felt in the United States and across the world, with sharper consequences expected to fall on poorer, import-dependent countries.
While Iran has denied holding direct or indirect negotiations with the U.S. and has rejected calls for a ceasefire, the two sides have acknowledged exchanging messages through intermediaries. It is unclear whether anything has resulted from the discussions, with thousands more U.S. troops arriving in the Middle East last week as the war continues to escalate.
Trump has repeatedly signaled he is looking to draw the conflict to an end within weeks, and has made conflicting statements about whether he could end the war without reopening the Strait, which he has said the U.S. “doesn’t need.”
In an address on Wednesday, he said that “the countries of the world that do receive oil” through the Strait should “grab it and cherish it.”
Iran has insisted the strait remains open to vessels from friendly countries, with a reduced number of ships having safely made the passage during the conflict. In March, Iranian media reports quoted Iran’s representative to the U.N. maritime agency as saying vessels except those linked to “Iran’s enemies” would be allowed through.
Shipping industry experts say some ships are being charged millions of dollars to transit, with some oil tankers forced to take a new route in the Strait of Hormuz through a narrow passage controlled by its Revolutionary Guard, according to maritime data shared with NBC News.
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