US President Donald Trump has issued a new threat to Iran: “You have two days to make a deal or open the Strait of Hormuz.”
The short, three-sentence post on Truth Social on Saturday made no mention of the ongoing search for the U.S. pilot who is believed to have ejected over Iran after his F-15 fighter jet crashed there. Iran claimed responsibility for the shootdown, the first since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28.
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In another incident on Friday, Iran claimed to have shot down an A-10 Warthog near the Strait of Hormuz, calling into question President Trump’s previous claim that the United States had established control of Iranian airspace.
Rather than address the recent selloff, Trump’s post focused on the 10-day deadline he announced on March 26.
He called on Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to international navigation or face the “destruction” of its energy facilities. This 10-day period expires on Monday.
“Remember when I gave Iran 10 days to reach a deal or open the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote. “Time is running out. Forty-eight hours left before hell has them. Glory to God!”
deadlock in negotiations
Trump did not provide details about Saturday’s threat, but in a series of posts this week he promised to attack Iranian power plants, oil facilities and “probably all desalination facilities.”
In a national address on Wednesday, he threatened to bomb Iran and take it “back to the Stone Age,” and on Friday he cheered an attack on a bridge connecting Tehran to the Caspian Sea.
Just this week, more than 100 international law experts published an open letter warning that targeting civilian infrastructure is a violation of the Geneva Conventions and could constitute a war crime.
The Trump administration also proposed changing its goals and plans to end the war.
Administration officials have repeatedly said the United States wants a diplomatic solution. Meanwhile, President Trump has touted “victory” even as he hints at weeks more attacks.
At the same time, Iran and the United States are sending conflicting messages regarding progress in peace negotiations.
On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragushi said Iran remained open to diplomacy after the country rejected the “irrational” 15-point plan presented by the Trump administration.
“What we are interested in are the conditions that will bring about a definitive and lasting end to the illegal war that has been imposed on us,” Araghchi said in a post on X.
But the US insists that Iran’s demand to maintain “sovereignty” over the Strait of Hormuz is not a start.
Pakistan has indicated it will continue to support ceasefire negotiations despite continuing “obstacles”.
There is no mention of the pilot who was shot down.
President Trump has not publicly addressed the ongoing search for the American pilot, but NBC News reported Friday that he does not believe the incident will affect negotiations with Iran.
“No, not at all. No, this is war,” he reportedly told the network over the phone.
Nevertheless, experts have warned that Iran’s possible capture of the pilot could pose a crisis for the US government and give Tehran significant leverage to thwart any diplomatic solution.
The incident could also undermine U.S. claims that it has the upper hand in negotiations.
Marina Miron, a researcher at King’s College London, said the F-15 shootdown undermined statements by President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth that the United States had established complete air superiority over Iranian airspace.
“We now have a visible example that Iran still has the ability to target and successfully shoot down U.S. military aircraft. Of course, this is very important for Iran to demonstrate its ability to resist,” Miron told Al Jazeera.
“Probably the types of air defenses used by Iran, such as man-portable air defenses, will be much harder to detect.”
Miron added that U.S. efforts to rescue the pilot risked causing U.S. casualties and increased the risk of further military escalation.
“It’s a race against time. There is now a critical grace period of up to 72 hours, with both sides trying to secure pilots for military and political purposes,” she said.
