Trump extended Iran deadline from 48 hours to 408 hours: Will he push it again?

Trump has extended his deadline to Iran three times so far and delayed attacks on energy sites. His new deadline ends today. Will he unleash hell on Iran or give it more time to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?

In Short

• Trump initially gave Iran 48 hours to open the Strait of Hormuz
• He extended the deadline thrice, stretching it to 408 hours
• Latest deadline set for April 8 amid ongoing negotiations

Donald Trump has been threatening Iran with a full-blown attack on its energy sites if it fails to open the Strait of Hormuz within the given deadline. He has been brutal in his threats and warnings, but flexible with his deadlines. The US President originally gave Iran 48 hours to open the strait and warned of attacks if it failed to comply. Just as the world was preparing to see what would happen next, Trump dampened the tension by extending the deadline.

Trump has extended his deadline thrice so far and the fresh one ends on April 7. The first ultimatum was for five days, but he extended it by 10 more days late last month. The latter deadline was then supposed to expire on Monday before Trump’s latest delay. Thus, Trump’s original 48-hour ultimatum has stretched to 408 hours so far.

Trump's fresh deadline ends on April 7 but given his pattern of deadline extensions, intensifying rhetoric and continued uncertainty over diplomacy, people wonder if he will extend the deadline further.

DEADLINES AND DELAYS: TRUMP'S WAR GAMES

Trump's first warning came on March 22, warning Iran that failure to comply would result in military strikes on key energy infrastructure.

"If Iran doesn’t fully open, without threat, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 hours from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various power plants, starting with the biggest one first!," Trump's March 22 post read.

On March 23, just before the original deadline expired, Trump announced a 5-day pause until March 28, citing "very good and productive conversations" with Tehran.

“I have instructed the department of war to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period," he said.

On March 26, Trump warned Iran to “get serious soon, before it is too late," while also extending the deadline further to April 6 at 8 pm, saying negotiations were “going very well."

Trump again extended the pause by another 10 days, setting a new firm deadline of Monday, April 6, at 8:00 pm ET.

On April 6, Trump extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by an additional 24 hours. He posted a cryptic message on Truth Social without elaborating, "Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!". This effectively extended the deadline by 34 hours from Monday morning to Tuesday night.

He later posted on Truth Social, "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran."

WILL TRUMP DELAY IRAN STRIKES AGAIN?

Iran is already expecting that Trump will push the deadline further given his pattern so far. US officials also said Trump may delay planned strikes targeting Iranian civilian infrastructure if negotiations show signs of progress.

"If the President sees a deal is coming together, he’ll probably hold off. But only he and he alone makes that decision," Axios quoted a senior administration official as saying.

However, Trump said on Monday that the Tuesday deadline he has set for Iran to make a deal was final. He claimed in an interview with Axios that the US is "in deep negotiations" with Iran and that a deal can be reached before his deadline expires on Tuesday.

"There is a good chance, but if they don't make a deal, I am blowing up everything over there," he said.

He also issued a dire warning to Iran hours before the deadline was set to end, saying the whole civilisation would be wiped out if Tehran doesn't make a deal.

"A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will," he posted on Truth Social.

Meanwhile, Trump said senior US officials were negotiating with Iran via texts as well as via mediators Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt. However, the peace proposal has been repeatedly rejected by Iran, who in turn, sent its own 10-point proposal to America.

- Ends