Iran issues warning to Trump after vulgar Easter message

Iran has vowed to retaliate with “devastating” force if the U.S. and Israel strike civilian infrastructure, shortly after President Donald Trump warned of new attacks on the country if Tehran fails to meet his deadline to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane.

“Should the attack on civilian targets be repeated, the next phases of our retaliatory operations will be carried out with a much more devastating and extensive impact,” a spokesperson for Iran’s military said in a statement carried by the country’s IRIB state broadcaster late Sunday.

Trump, in an expletive-littered social media post, had said American troops could target bridges and power plants in Iran if Tehran’s leadership did not allow vessels to pass unscathed through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked for more than a month as global fuel prices soar and concerns about oil and gas supplies spiral.

Trump later appeared to set his deadline for Iran at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

His statement quickly drew widespread criticism in Washington, including from Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who accused the president of “threatening possible war crimes and alienating allies.”

Deliberate attacks on civilians and non-military infrastructure are generally banned under several international agreements designed to limit the horrors of war, like the Geneva Conventions and the United Nations Charter.

International law experts raised fresh concerns over U.S. military action in Iran after Trump posted images of a strike on a bridge near Tehran that took place on April 2.

“Much more to follow,” Trump said.

Despite his pledges to rain “hell” on Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, Trump told Fox News that a deal with Tehran was possible ahead of his imposed deadline.

Pakistan, which has emerged as a key intermediary in efforts to end the war, sent a proposal to the U.S. and Iran overnight which could put in place an immediate ceasefire, Reuters reported on Monday, citing an anonymous source aware of the plan. The agreement would also reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Egyptian, Pakistani and Turkish representatives have submitted a draft document calling for a 45-day ceasefire, which would allow ships to return safely to the waterway, The Associated Press reported, citing two Middle Eastern officials.

Ships seen by Iran as allied with the U.S. or Israel have not been allowed through the Strait of Hormuz, although some vessels have trickled through the waterway, which is just over 20 miles wide at its narrowest point. Maritime traffic through the strait has tumbled by 90 percent since Iran first declared it would strike ships in the strait more than a month ago.

U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran are now in their sixth week, sites across the country pounded by the joint bombardment as Tehran continues to target Israel and America’s Gulf allies with drone and missile strikes. Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia reported fresh overnight attacks.

Iranian media reported strikes on Monday had targeted the Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, while Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said the early-morning attacks had killed the head of intelligence for Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Majid Khademi.

Iranian state media also reported Khademi’s death.

At least 13 people were killed in Tehran overnight, including six children, according to Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency. Another 11 people were killed elsewhere in Iran, state-linked media reported.

Two people were killed in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, emergency services said on Monday. Two others are still missing.

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Source: Iran issues warning to Trump after vulgar Easter message