After the official statements by President Donald Trump on April 1, 2026, threatening Iran, “we will hit them very hard over the next two to three weeks[…] We will bring them back to the Stone Age, where they belong” (1), Tehran responded the next day by threatening to launch “devastating” attacks against the United States and Israel while firing some missiles at Tel Aviv.
The Iranian military coordination center Khatam Al-Anbiya issued a statement broadcast on state television warning the United States and Israel to expect “more crushing, extensive, and destructive actions[…] With the trust in Almighty God, this war will continue until your humiliation, dishonor, final and certain regret, and surrender.”
Regarding Washington’s ceasefire proposals “on its terms” (N.B. essentially a complete surrender), Iran rejected them as “maximalist and irrational.” The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, stated on April 2: “Messages have been received via intermediaries, notably Pakistan, but there are no direct negotiations with the United States.”
Trump, however, assured Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain – all heavily hit by Iranian drone and missile attacks – that the United States “will not allow them to be hit or to fail in any way.”
A video conference chaired by British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper was held the following day from London. Approximately forty countries participated at the initiative of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss how to reopen the currently blockaded Strait of Hormuz by Iran. The United States was not among the present countries.
The Iranian Pasdaran swore on April 1, after Trump’s speech, to keep the Strait closed to the country’s “enemies.”
The participating countries at the summit included, among others, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates…
They signed a declaration demanding that Iran cease its attempts to block the strait and commit to “contributing to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the waterway.”
This event is seen as a first step to be followed by “working meetings” of officials to refine the details.
But Starmer declared the next day that military planners from an unspecified number of countries would soon gather to work on how to ensure the security of maritime transport “after the cessation of hostilities,” recognizing that resuming maritime transport “will not be easy” and will require “a united front of military force and diplomatic activity” alongside partnership with the maritime industry.
According to Lloyd, since the war began on February 28, 2026, there have been 23 direct attacks on commercial ships in the Gulf, resulting in eleven crew members killed.
Iran, however, stated that “non-hostile” ships could transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which is closed only to ships from enemy countries and their allies.
Examples of destruction aiming to bring Iranians back to the “Stone Age”
President Donald Trump applauded the destruction of a bridge under construction near the Iranian capital and called for Iranian leaders to reach an agreement “before it’s too late.” Tehran reported that this attack resulted in the deaths of eight civilians and 95 injuries.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, wrote on X: “Targeting civilian infrastructure, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender.”
Hossein Kermanpour, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Health, stated on April 2 that certain parts of the Pasteur Institute in Tehran had been severely damaged in the Israeli and US bombings.
Established in 1921 following the 1919 Spanish flu pandemic, the Pasteur Institute’s mission is to support advanced research and develop programs in biomedical sciences, produce biopharmaceutical specialties and diagnostic kits, with a particular focus on infectious diseases. The Pasteur Institute is crucial for the local production and development of vaccines.
A few hours before Trump’s address, Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian called out Americans on the true priority given by America to this conflict, accusing Washington of “war crimes and being influenced by Israel.”
It is true that Trump’s objectives appear to be unclear and changing.
Eric Brewer, Deputy Director of the Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) and Principal Researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), formerly of the Defense Intelligence Agency, raised the question following President Trump’s assessment: “If the Iranian military is destroyed, the regime changes, their nuclear dust buried and inaccessible, and the Strait able to reopen itself after a ceasefire, what do you want from Iran to end this war?”
Even within the Trump Administration, the atmosphere seems tense. A senior military authority has just been dismissed by War Secretary Pete Hegseth: Army Chief of Staff Randy George, whose term was supposed to run until 2027.
In any case, Trump has managed to unite at least a large part of the Iranian people – even those opposed to the regime – in an anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiment that will endure in the future.
This sentiment seems to be developing among his allies as well, as he strives to humiliate them with his harsh remarks and fully embraced trade war…
