On Tuesday, Iran and the United States announced a two-week ceasefire agreement in the Middle East, just minutes before the end of the ultimatum set by Donald Trump. Only a few hours later, the region seemed on the brink, under increasingly alarming threats from the American president.
A surge in strikes, American threats, and a two-week ceasefire. In a matter of hours, the war in the Middle East took a crucial turn, with a temporary halt to offensives announced around 1 a.m. (French time). Yet, the world held its breath after an escalation of attacks in the afternoon and threats of annihilation from the American president.
Less than 24 hours before the end of the ultimatum issued by Donald Trump, Israeli-American strikes hit strategic points in Iran on Tuesday, April 7, around midday. The White House tenant maintains pressure as he threatens to hit Iranian energy infrastructures if the country does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. A strategy criticized, as the destruction of civilian infrastructure is considered a war crime according to the Geneva Convention.
At the same time, the Israeli army attacks “dozens of infrastructures”, causing several deaths and injuries. Among them, bridges and railways. The Iranian rule of Kharg, a key point in the Iranian oil industry, is also hit by strikes, significantly raising the price of American oil barrels.
This has caused a wave of concern among neighboring countries. Qatar warns that the region is “very close” to the point where escalation “cannot be controlled”.
“Iran Warns: ‘An Entire Civilization Will Die Tonight’”
Meanwhile, Iran warns that its retaliation will extend beyond the region if the United States “crosses the red lines”. The Revolutionary Guards threaten to take action against infrastructures that “will deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas from the region for years”.
In this tense context, Donald Trump takes a more alarming tone with a threat: “an entire civilization will die tonight”.
“I do not wish it, but it is likely,” the American president writes on his social network, Truth social, hinting at a possible catastrophe to come. Although using very bellicose language, the White House denies the use of nuclear weapons and states that “only the president knows where we stand and what he will do”.
“Now that we are witnessing a complete and total regime change, where different, more intelligent and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe a revolutionary miracle could happen. Who knows? We will find out tonight,” concludes Donald Trump.
Israel, an American ally, applauds in the meantime for “crushing the terrorist regime in Iran”. “We are doing it more and more vigorously and with increasing power,” cheers Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Not intimidated, Iran says it is ready for ‘all scenarios'”
However, Iran is not intimidated. Government spokesperson Fatemah Mohajerano believes that Donald Trump’s threat to the Iranian civilization is a “sign of ignorance of the history of a nation that has overcome crises many times and continues to rise”.
“The narrow path of threats, meanness, and humiliation is not a solution,” she explains.
The country says it is ready for “all scenarios”. “No threat exceeds our level of preparedness and our intelligence capabilities,” promises Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref.
The Revolutionary Guards continue their strikes by sending missiles to Israel, also targeted by Lebanese rockets, causing several injuries.
“Growing Concern Internationally”
Elsewhere in the world, Donald Trump’s threats are causing concern. UN Secretary-General António Guterres says he is “very concerned” about these words, while Pope Leon XIV speaks out against “unacceptable threats”.
On this pivotal day in the Middle East conflict and its global repercussions, the UN Security Council meets to vote on a resolution from Bahrain calling for the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, at the heart of Donald Trump’s ultimatum. A vote that fails after vetoes from China and Russia. “A bad signal sent to the world,” regrets Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdoullatif ben Rachid Al Zayani.
In the early evening, Pakistan publicly speaks out and positions itself more openly as the intermediary for negotiations between Iran, the United States, and Israel. Its Prime Minister calls on Donald Trump to postpone the deadline given to Iran by “two weeks” to allow diplomacy to proceed. A proposal to which the president promises a response.
“A Ceasefire Excluding the Israeli Offensive in Lebanon”
This news comes just before the end of the ultimatum, around 12:30 a.m. French time: Washington agrees to a two-week ceasefire in exchange for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Donald Trump also specifies that Iran has sent him a ten-point plan that he deems “viable for negotiation”.
According to the American president, discussions were “very advanced” on reaching an agreement for “long-term peace” with Iran and in the Middle East, despite the escalating tensions that seemed to intensify a few hours earlier.
Iran later confirms the two-week ceasefire and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz during this period, only if the Israeli-American attacks cease. Negotiations between all parties will take place in Islamabad, Pakistan, a decision widely praised by Middle Eastern countries. The United States claims a “total and complete victory”.
But this new phase of negotiations does not mean the total end of strikes in the region. A few hours after these latest announcements, Israel clarified that the ceasefire agreement did not include Lebanon, where the Israeli army is simultaneously conducting an offensive against Hezbollah.
Wednesday morning, a new evacuation order is issued by the Israeli army, ready to strike around the city of Tyre. Israeli strikes in Lebanon have already killed 1,530 people since the beginning of the war, according to the Ministry of Health.
