The president Donald Trump published a direct ultimatum to Iran this Saturday on Truth Social: he gave them 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating consequences.
"Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or CLOSE THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ. Time is running out — 48 hours before hell breaks loose on them. Glory to God!" wrote Trump.
The ultimatum represents the expiration of a ten-day deadline that Trump set on March 26 for Iran to negotiate an agreement or reopen maritime passage, within the context of the war between the United States and Israel against Iran—referred to as Operation Epic Fury—initiated on February 28, 2026.
Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, using mines, drones, and missiles, leaving about 2,000 ships with 20,000 sailors stranded.
The strait is the most strategic maritime passage in the world: it carries 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
This is not the first time Trump has resorted to this kind of pressure. On March 21, he threatened to destroy Iranian power plants, starting with Bushehr, if they did not open the way within 48 hours, but he postponed the attacks after what he described as "productive conversations."
On March 30, he once again threatened to destroy power plants, oil wells, the island of Kharg, and desalination plants if the strait was not reopened by April 6.
The ultimatum arrives amidst contradictory signals from the White House regarding the goals of the conflict.
At the beginning of April, Trump had told reporters that the United States would be
The Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, reiterated on Tuesday that the objectives of the war are to destroy the Iranian ballistic missile arsenal, eliminate its navy, and prevent the development of nuclear weapons, without mentioning the strait as a condition for the end of the conflict.
The military situation is further complicated by the loss of aircraft. On Friday, an American F-15E was shot down over Iranian territory and an A-10 Thunderbolt II was hit by Iranian fire in the Persian Gulf; the pilot of the A-10 ejected in Kuwaiti airspace and was rescued. Two helicopters involved in the rescue operations of the F-15 were also damaged by Iranian fire.
When NBC asked him if those events would affect possible negotiations with Iran, Trump was blunt: "No, not at all. No, it's war. We are at war."
In parallel, Trump has threatened to withdraw the United States from NATO following the alliance's refusal to assist in defending the strait. "I never let NATO influence me". "I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way," he said in an interview with The Telegraph.
The closure of the strait has driven up the price of Brent crude to 105 dollars per barrel and gasoline in the United States to four dollars per gallon, while Operation Epic Fury has attacked more than 5,000 Iranian targets, degrading 90% of the regime's missile capability and 95% of its drones.
Filed under: