In a dramatic escalation of rhetoric, President Donald Trump has issued a final deadline to Tehran: reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8:00 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, or face the systematic destruction of Iran’s civilian infrastructure.
President Trump: 🇮🇷🇺🇸 Essentially, they have till 8 o'clock tomorrow night, Eastern Time. But we are dealing with them. I think it's going well.
This should have been handled by seven presidents, a lot of presidents. And those presidents are saying now, every one of them to… pic.twitter.com/eJfVcOewtx
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) April 6, 2026
Speaking from the White House, the President claimed that a “complete demolition” plan is in place to target every major power plant and bridge across the Islamic Republic.
”Every bridge in Iran will be decimated… every power plant will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again,” Trump told reporters. “It will happen over a period of four hours if we want it to. We don’t want that to happen, but they have until 8 o’clock tomorrow night.”
🚨PRESIDENT TRUMP on IRAN: 🇮🇷🇺🇸 They have till tomorrow… we're giving them till tomorrow, 8:00 Eastern Time.
After that, they’re going to have no power plants or bridges. pic.twitter.com/3VhwK2DfkR
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) April 6, 2026
Trump framed the current crisis as a failure of his predecessors, claiming that “seven presidents” should have handled the Iranian threat years ago. He doubled down on his criticism of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), frequently referring to it as the “Barack Hussein Obama Iran nuclear deal.”
”He chose Iran over Israel, pure and simple,” Trump stated, arguing that his decision to terminate the deal was the only way to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran and protect Israeli security.
The President’s latest ultimatum follows a weekend of social media posts where he dubbed the upcoming deadline “Power Plant Day and Bridge Day.” While Trump noted that negotiations are “going well” and that the U.S. has an “active, willing participant” on the other side, he emphasized that the free flow of oil is a non-negotiable requirement for any ceasefire.
International observers and human rights groups have raised alarms, noting that targeting civilian infrastructure such as power plants—which sustain hospitals and water systems—could be classified as a violation of international law. Trump dismissed these concerns, stating simply, “I hope I don’t have to do it.”
