Trump threatens to ‘nuke’ Iran tonight while Tehran says ‘restraints are off’

The US President had addressed Iranians as ‘crazy ba****ds’ and demanded that they open up the Strait of Hormuz by 8 pm Eastern Time on Monday in the US (5.30 am on Tuesday, 8 April in India).

He repeated the warning on Monday morning and posted that “(tonight) 47 years of extortion, corruption and death will finally end. God bless the Great people of Iran!”.

The post on social media platform Truth Social used by Trump triggered shock and disbelief as countries braced for another wanton display of US military power.

Even before the deadline set by the US President expires, however, Israeli and US planes attacked Iranian railway lines and the Kharg island, according to reports trickling out of Iran. Tehran issued an advisory asking people to avoid using the railways till after the expiry of the deadline.

Sources in Tehran however confirmed that aerial bombing had intensified during the day on Tuesday and that the Seyed Ismael market in Tehran had been bombed, killing shop owners and customers present.

The reaction within the United States has also been one of despair. “If you work in the White House, or in the U.S. Military, now it's time to say ‘NO’ to the president. No, in case you're thinking about using some weapon of mass destruction against the population of Iran. And if given the order, say ‘I'm not carrying it out,’ exhorted influencer Tucker Carlson, a supporter-turned-critic of Trump. 

Joe Kent, who resigned as director at the counterterrorism centre protesting against the attack on Iran last month, posted “Trump believes he is threatening Iran with destruction, but it is America that now stands in danger.

If he attempts to eradicate Iranian civilisation, the United States will no longer be viewed as a stabilising force in the world, but as an agent of chaos — effectively ending our status as the world’s greatest superpower. This would upend our economy and shatter the global order.

The process is already underway, yet we still have time to avert a catastrophe if Trump finds the courage to pursue serious negotiations rather than reckless rage and destruction.

Trump’s threat comes a day after Iran put forward what several experts believe is a ‘reasonable’ formula to end the conflict. Notably, Iran had dropped its demand that the US withdraw military bases entirely from the region. Iran also dropped the demand that the US and Israel compensate for war damages by way of reparation. Both conditions were unlikely to be met and Iran made it easier for the US to declare victory and put an end to the war. 

Iran of course also wanted a guarantee, reportedly by the US Congress and the United Nations, that all sanctions would be lifted, all regional wars against its allies would stop and Iran would not be attacked again. It also made it clear that Iran would continue to collect the Hormuz fee, which in fact it is already doing.

Renewed and intensified bombings by US and Israel on Tuesday and Trump’s social media post have signalled the White House’s reluctance to accept the terms.

As everyone is keeping their fingers crossed, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) declared, "From now on, certain considerations regarding good neighborliness and self-restraint have ended. We will deal with the infrastructure of the United States and its partners in the Persian Gulf in such a way that they will be deprived of the region's oil and gas for years".

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker G.B. Ghalibaf meanwhile joined 14 million Iranians to pledge their lives for the protection of Iran.

Thousands of Iranians reportedly formed human chains on bridges, railheads and power plants in a show of solidarity and defiance to the US. “More than 14 million proud Iranians have so far registered to sacrifice their lives to defend Iran. I too have been, am, and will remain devoted to giving my life for Iran,” posted Pezeshkian.