Trump Threatens To Blow Iran Off The Face Of The Earth If It Attacks US Vessels

Donald Trump threatened that Iran will be “blown off the face of the earth” if it attacks US vessels trying to reopen a route through the strait of Hormuz, as the US launched an operation on Monday to help hundreds of ships trapped with their crews in the Gulf. The Guardian says the US president issued the threat in an interview with Fox News on Monday and described the US naval effort as “one of the greatest military maneuvers ever done”. The same report says Tehran sought to reassert its blockade on the strait, and that the US military claimed it destroyed six Iranian small boats while Iran denied the claim. The Guardian also reports that over 800 ships and roughly 20,000 crew members remain stranded in the region, with Iran’s military central command warning it would strike any US naval vessel approaching the strait.

“(CNN) Iran rejected a temporary ceasefire in its war with the United States and Israel, saying it would allow the adversaries to pause and prepare to resume the war”

CNN Arabic

Iran rejected a temporary ceasefire and set conditions for a permanent peace with the United States, with Reuters quoted by الجزيرة نت saying Tehran rejects any temporary ceasefire and insists on a permanent peace agreement. The same report says Iran’s conditions include an immediate halt to attacks on its territory, guarantees they will not be repeated, and compensation for damages it suffered during the war. It also reports that the New York Times quoted senior Iranian officials saying Tehran’s proposal to end its war with the United States and Israel came in ten points, including lifting sanctions on Iran and demanding guarantees against further attacks. CNN Arabic adds that Iran rejected a temporary ceasefire, quoting IRNA and Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baqai saying, “We call for an end to the war and for it to be prevented from happening again,” while also rejecting the reports of a possible 45-day ceasefire discussed by Axios.

France 24 reports that Trump said the United States could destroy, within four hours, all bridges and power-generation facilities in Iran, with his statement saying, “We have a plan, thanks to the strength of our armed forces, to destroy all of Iran's bridges by midnight tomorrow”. The report says the United Nations Security Council will vote on Tuesday on a substantially watered-down draft to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, after the step had been postponed several times, and it cites diplomatic sources for the postponements due to possible Russia and China vetoes. France 24 also quotes Ibrahim Dhu al-Faqari, the spokesman for the “Khatam al-Anbiya” Headquarters, saying the “vulgar” words Donald Trump uses about the war “will have no effect” on Iranian soldiers. In parallel, الشرق says the IRGC threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz completely and to strike regional infrastructure if Trump carries out his threat to strike Iran's power plants within 48 hours.