The president Donald Trump confirmed this Saturday a new massive strike on Tehran and announced that numerous Iranian military leaders were eliminated.
"Many of the military leaders in Iran, who have led them poorly and recklessly, have been removed, along with much more, in this massive strike in Tehran," he stated in a post on his social network Truth Social, which included a nighttime video of the Iranian capital with visible explosions on the horizon.
The video comes just hours after he issued a direct ultimatum to Iran, giving it 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 all hell breaks loose on them. Glory to God!" Trump wrote.
The ultimatum represents the expiration of a ten-day deadline that Trump set on March 26 for Iran to negotiate an agreement or reopen the maritime passage, within the context of the war between the United States and Israel against Iran — referred to as Operation Epic Fury — which began on February 28, 2026.
Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, using mines, drones, and missiles, leaving about 2,000 ships and 20,000 sailors stranded.
At the beginning of April, Trump had told reporters that the United States would be coming out of the war in two weeks, perhaps two or three, and that Iran "doesn't have to make a deal" for the conflict to end — statements that his release this Saturday directly contradicts.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine reiterated on Tuesday that the goals of the war are to destroy Iran's arsenal of ballistic missiles, 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, a U.S. 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 for the F-15 were also damaged by Iranian fire.
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