Did Trump bomb Iran yet? Deadline issued in Easter post approaching
Kinsey Crowley- President Donald Trump set a deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on its infrastructure.
- The deadline, set for 8 p.m. ET April 7, follows several previous extensions.
- Targeting civilian infrastructure could be considered a war crime, according to international law experts.
After weeks of delays, Tuesday, April 7, is President Donald Trump's deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or else the U.S. will target the country's critical infrastructure.
The latest deadline was set in a strongly-worded social media post from the president on Easter Sunday, where he called on Iran to "Open the (expletive) Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell." He said Tuesday by 8 p.m. ET would be the "Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day."
Attacking civilian infrastructure on purpose could be a war crime, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross president Mirjana Spoljaric and echoed in a letter signed by over 100 U.S. international law experts.
Thousands have been killed in the war so far, and attacking Iran's infrastructure would be a major escalation. Has it happened yet? Here is what to know:
Did Trump bomb Iran yet?
As of the morning of April 7, there have been no reports that U.S. military forces have begun conducting attacks on Iran's power plants and bridges, as Trump's deadline has been set for later in the day.
However, Reuters and the Wall Street Journal reported the U.S. struck military targets on Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export terminal on April 7. Vice President JD Vance said they were military targets and did not signal a change in strategy or Trump's previous comments, according to Reuters.
When is the deadline for the bridges and power plants?
Trump on Easter Sunday set the deadline for 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, April 7.
“We have a plan because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by (midnight) tomorrow night. Where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again,” he said at a press conference on Monday, April 6.
The ultimatum was first issued on March 21 with a 48-hour deadline, but as it approached, he extended it for five days. Trump extended that deadline again on March 26 for 10 days. But he said that would have been "inappropriate" for the day after Easter, as it would have fallen on April 6.
So, on Easter Sunday (April 5) Trump issued the most recent expletive-laden deadline for 48 hours.
What did Trump post on Easter?
Trump posted the following threat on his Truth Social account on Sunday, April 5:
"Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the (expletive) Strait, you crazy Bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah."
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf condemned Trump's threat, claiming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was misleading Trump.
"Your reckless moves are dragging the United States into a living HELL for every single family, and our whole region is going to burn because you insist on following Netanyahu's commands," he posted on X. "Make no mistake: You won’t gain anything through war crimes."
On deadline day, Trump said 'a whole civilization will die tonight'
On the morning of the deadline, Tuesday, April 7, Trump took to Truth Social to recommit to the threat:
"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will," he wrote. "We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World."
Contributing: Michael Loria, Kathryn Palmer, Thao Nguyen, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her onX (Twitter),Threads,Bluesky andTikTok.