(NPR)- Iran’s top officials pushed back Monday against President Trump’s deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz, striking a defiant tone as the warring sides traded missile attacks. The U.S. and Israel targeted oil facilities inside Iran, while Iran hit several towns in Israel and oil refineries across the Gulf countries.
In a social media post Sunday, Trump issued a profane warning for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” and adding, “Open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!” He later specified the deadline: Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
Attacking civilian infrastructure that doesn’t contribute to military action is considered a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.
Iranian officials reacted to Trump’s threats.
A spokesman for Iran’s president, Seyyed Mehdi Tabatabai, called Trump’s statement a reaction of “sheer desperation and anger.”
“The Strait of Hormuz will open when all the damage caused by the imposed war is compensated through a new legal regime, using a portion of the revenue from transit fees,” Tabatabai said in a social media post on Sunday.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry echoed the statement: “We are determined to defend our national security and sovereignty with all might,” the ministry’s spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, told Iran’s Wana news agency.
Iran’s Mission to the U.N. said on Sunday “Trump seeks to drag the region into an endless war.”
“This is direct and public incitement to terrorise civilians and clear evidence of intent to commit war crimes,” it said in a post on X. “The international community and all States have legal obligations to prevent such atrocious acts of war crimes.”
