Trump Gives Iran 48‑Hour Ultimatum to Open Hormuz Strait
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- Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran has 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks, recalling an earlier ten‑day deadline.
- Israel’s senior defence official said Israel is ready to strike Iranian energy facilities within the next week, pending U.S. approval.
- Iran warned that the entire region would become a “hell” for the United States and Israel if attacks escalate, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Pakistan‑mediated talks are possible but gave no sign of conceding to Trump’s demand.
- US forces continued searching for a missing crew member after a downed F‑15E; one airman was recovered and two Black Hawk helicopters were hit by Iranian fire but escaped Iranian airspace.
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it deployed a new air‑defence system that engaged a U.S. fighter jet, three drones and two cruise missiles.
- Israel claimed strikes on a southwestern Iranian petrochemical zone that injured five people and on a plant that makes explosives‑related materials.
- Iran launched drones at U.S. radar sites, a U.S.-linked aluminium plant in the UAE and a U.S. military headquarters in Kuwait in retaliation for attacks on its industrial centres.
Why it matters: The ultimatum threatens to choke the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for a fifth of global oil and gas, while U.S. forces risk further losses after downed aircraft and a missing crew member; Iran’s new air‑defence system and retaliatory strikes raise the danger of a broader regional war.
