US President Donald Trump made an expletive-filled threat Sunday to destroy Iran’s civilian infrastructure, demanding Tehran bow to his demands for a deal to reopen the Gulf to shipping as oil prices surge.
As Christians marked Easter, Trump revived warnings of air strikes on Iranian power plants and bridges, after celebrating the rescue of a wounded airman whose fighter jet went down inside Iran.
Iranian images showed wreckage of several aircraft, but Tehran did not deny US forces rescued the officer, who sheltered in a mountainous area while American special forces and Iranian troops raced to find him.
The war, which erupted on February 28 with deadly US-Israeli strikes on Tehran, has engulfed the Middle East and strained the global economy.
Iranian missiles have hit Israeli cities and economic infrastructure in the Gulf, sending world energy prices soaring.
Oil opened higher in early trading in Asia, with US benchmark West Texas Intermediate up 1.86 percent to $113.62 a barrel and Brent above $110.
Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy chokepoint, provoking Trump to demand Sunday: “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell.”
In a terse follow-up post, the president apparently set a new deadline for Iran to comply: “Tuesday, 8:00 PM” (midnight GMT).
While Trump told Fox News Iran was “close” to making a deal, security analyst Danny Citrinowicz said “the prospect of a negotiated agreement with Iran, at least under current conditions, is close to nonexistent.”
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