FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
From March 23 to April 8, the US president has threatened bombings but has postponed each deadline. The latest one expires tonight at 8:00 PM.
US President Donald Trump is playing a dangerous game with fire in the Persian Gulf. For the third time in as many weeks, he has given Iran a deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz. For the third time, he has extended it. Now the new deadline is tonight, Tuesday, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The big question is: will this be the last one or will there be another extension?
It all started on March 21. Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran was being given 48 hours to fully and without threat open the strategic strait. Otherwise, the US would bomb Iranian power plants. The first deadline expired on the evening of March 23. But 12 hours before the clock struck, the US president made a surprise announcement. He wrote that the talks had been productive and that he had ordered a postponement of any military strike for five days.
The second deadline came on March 26. Trump extended the deadline for another 10 days, until April 6 at 8 p.m. In his statements, he added oil wells, Kharg Island, and possibly all of the water desalination plants to the list of possible targets. Iran made no concessions. The April 6 date came and went.
Now we are in our third term. On Saturday, Trump announced a new 48-hour ultimatum, warning that “all hell will fall on them.” On Sunday, he extended it again. This time, he added bridges as a target. “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridges Day, all rolled into one,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Open the damn strait, or you’ll live in hell.” On Monday, he said that “the whole country could be destroyed overnight, and that night could be tomorrow . ”
But as of now, Tuesday's 8:00 p.m. deadline has not yet arrived. It is unknown whether Trump will act this time or grant a fourth extension.
What is really happening?
The pattern seems clear. Trump sets extreme deadlines. He accompanies them with violent rhetoric. Then he extends them by claiming progress in the talks. The question is: Who is he trying to convince? American opinion? Iranian leaders? Or is he simply playing for time?
On the other hand, Iran no longer has trust. Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, the head of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Cairo, said Tehran does not trust the Trump administration. The reason? "The US bombed Iran twice during previous rounds of talks," he said. According to him, Iran will only accept an end to the war with a guarantee that it will not be attacked again.
Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that the latest ceasefire proposal had been rejected. However, a regional official involved in the talks told the AP that "we are still talking to both sides." So the talks haven't completely failed. But they haven't yielded results either.
War crimes and the UN response
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that attacks on civilian infrastructure are prohibited under international law. Trump responded by saying he was not at all concerned about possible war crimes. His stance has also caused concern among European allies.
What's next?
So far, each deadline has been extended. The question is whether Trump will continue this pattern for a fourth time, or whether his threats will translate into concrete action. His administration has shown that it is willing to use force. Previous bombings prove that. But repeated extensions also show that Washington does not want an open, protracted war in one of the world's most sensitive spots.
For now, the strait remains blocked. Talks continue. And Trump continues to count the hours. But he hasn't started the timer yet. The third deadline expires tonight at 8 p.m. We'll see tomorrow if there's a fourth.
Kur ishim te vegjel e benim prapesira e sherre, na thonin gjyshet, do te te shpie te dr. Hyqmet Dibra. I madhi Dr. Dibra ishte me i miri per te semuret psiqike. I gjeni nje Dr. temire djalit, para se te na vere zjarrin te gjitheve.