Time is ticking, US President Donald Trump warned in his latest salvo against Iran, saying that if Tehran does not adhere to his deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz, “hell will rain down on them.”
"Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will rain down on them. Glory be to GOD! President DONALD J. TRUMP," he wrote on Truth Social.
Earlier, Trump had extended the deadline to reopen the critical energy chokepoint by 10 days, pushing it to April 6 after expressing optimism about ongoing talks with Iran.
When Donald Trump launched Operation Epic Fury with Israel on February 28, his administration laid out a broad set of goals: dismantle Iran’s missile capabilities, cripple its navy, and block any path to a nuclear weapon.
More than a month into the conflict, those objectives appear to have shifted repeatedly -- expanding, shrinking, and at times contradicting one another.
In just the fifth week of the war, Trump said the conflict had “nothing to do with oil,” only to later suggest the US should “take the oil & make a fortune.”
He has alternated between declaring the war nearly over and warning of weeks of intensified strikes on infrastructure. Within days, his stance on the Strait of Hormuz also shifted -- from saying other nations could reopen it once the US withdrew, to asserting that Washington could “easily” handle it itself.
On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi stated that Tehran has not declined to attend peace talks in Islamabad, emphasising that any negotiations must result in a definitive and enduring resolution to the ongoing conflict.
Araghchi expressed appreciation for Pakistan's mediation efforts, affirming, "We are deeply grateful to Pakistan for its efforts and have never refused to go to Islamabad." He added that the priority remains a conclusive and lasting end to what he described as the illegal war imposed on Iran.
These comments follow speculation about a potential impasse in Pakistan-facilitated discussions between Iran and the United States, which Islamabad has been mediating since the escalation of tensions in the region.
On Saturday, the Pakistan News Agency PTI reported that Pakistan denied media claims suggesting the peace talks had stalled after initial exchanges of proposals. Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi dismissed such reports as unfounded and a product of imagination.
Andrabi addressed various media and social media reports citing so-called official government sources on the conflict and Pakistan’s peace efforts. He categorically rejected these insinuations, clarifying that any attribution to official sources was incorrect.
He also noted that a briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been misrepresented and urged media outlets to rely solely on official statements for accurate information. Andrabi called on all media platforms to exercise caution, avoid speculation, and depend exclusively on authorised communications.
Pakistan intervened after the conflict expanded across the Gulf region, seeking to facilitate dialogue between Washington and Tehran. According to an unnamed official cited by Dawn newspaper, some progress had been made, with messages exchanged between the parties, but momentum slowed due to a lack of a clear signal from Iran.
The official expressed surprise that despite significant damage to naval, air force, and other military and civilian infrastructure, Iran had not responded positively to calls for negotiations. Pakistan and China have reportedly urged Iran to engage in dialogue, though Tehran has yet to formally confirm its readiness.
Pakistani leaders remain in contact with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Araghchi, the report added.
Araghchi reaffirmed Iran’s readiness to resume talks hosted in Pakistan, underscoring Tehran’s aim for a definitive and lasting resolution to the conflict, as reported by the Associated Press. Pakistan had previously indicated its willingness to host negotiations between the US and Iran, though no timeline has been set.
Source: India Today