️ The leader of the United States, Donald Trump, has issued a new threat against Iran via social media, giving the Iranian authorities 48 hours to “make a deal or open up the Hormuz Strait.” This ultimatum coincides with the final two days of a 10-day deadline Trump announced in March, when he called on Tehran to open the strategic waterway to international traffic.
️ Trump’s statement comes amid incidents involving downed US aircraft in Iranian airspace. Iran claimed responsibility for shooting down an F-15 fighter jet, the first such occurrence since US and Israeli attacks on February 28. Additionally, on Friday, Iran purportedly shot down an A-10 Warthog near the Strait of Hormuz, raising doubts about Trump’s earlier assertions of US dominance over Iran’s skies.
️ Rather than address the crashes, Trump focused on his ultimatum. In a series of posts this week, he pledged to attack Iran’s power plants, oil facilities, and “possibly all desalination plants.” During a national address on Wednesday, he threatened to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Ages,” and on Friday, he cheered a strike on a bridge linking Tehran to the Caspian Sea.
️ Over 100 international law experts published an open letter warning that targeting civilian infrastructure violates the Geneva Convention and could constitute war crimes. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has offered shifting objectives for ending the conflict: officials allegedly prefer a diplomatic solution, while Trump himself has touted “victories” and hinted at further weeks of attacks.
️ Iran and the US have sent contradictory messages on peace talks. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that Tehran remains open to diplomacy after rejecting an “unreasonable” 15-point plan from the Trump administration. The US, however, has argued that Iran’s demand to maintain “sovereignty” over the Strait of Hormuz is a non-starter.
️ The fate of the pilot from the downed F-15 remains unknown. Experts warn that possible Iranian capture of the pilot could create a crisis for Washington, giving Tehran significant leverage and complicating any diplomatic resolution. Researcher Marina Miron of King’s College London noted that the shooting down of the F-15 undercuts statements from Trump and US defense officials about complete control of Iranian airspace, demonstrating Iran’s continued air defense capabilities.
Source: www.aljazeera.com