US President Donald Trump on Sunday appeared to set a new, final deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, threatening Tehran with “Hell” in an expletive-laden post on his Truth Social platform.came after the US President’s repeated threats to target Iran’s critical and energy infrastructure
Iran defiant despite threat
Iran, however, responded with threats of its own, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf accusing Trump of pushing the US toward “a living HELL” and warning that the region could “burn.”
Make no mistake: You won’t gain anything through war crimes. The only real solution is respecting the rights of the Iranian people and ending this dangerous game,” Ghalibaf said.
US rescues missing airman, but at a cost
The US President’s warning to Iran and Tehran’s response also came after an action-packed Sunday that saw US Special Forces carry out a daring rescue of the second crew member of the downed F-15 jet, an operation that Trump described as “one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History”.
As Trump celebrated the rescue of the F-15 crew member, Iran on Sunday claimed to have downed three more American aircraft — this time, a C-130 military transport plane, and two Blackhawk helicopters. Reports indicated that the US military may have destroyed the aircraft themselves to prevent them from falling into enemy hands.
Oil markets rattled
Amid the effective closure of the crucial Strait of Hormuz, oil prices continue to show a strong upward trajectory, with the Brent crude benchmark hitting $110.85 on Sunday.
Brent crude was priced at around $72 a barrel prior to the start of the war, but has risen more than 50% since the US and Israel carried out strikes against Iran on 28 February, plunging the Middle East into chaos and prompting Iran to close off the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil passes.
Diplomatic efforts
Amid the trading of threats between the US and Iran, Oman reportedly has been talking with Tehran about reopening the Strait of Hormuz: CNN reported citing officials that talks had been underway for a couple of weeks and are focused on putting a “safe passage protocol” in place to allow commercial shipping to resume through the strategic waterway.
Egypt and Pakistan, meanwhile, have been attempting keep communications flowing between US and Iranian officials.
Reports on Monday also suggested that negotiators from US, Iran, and other regional mediators were making a last-ditch attempt to secure a temporary 45-day ceasefire to discuss an end to the war
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