Iran responds after Trump gives new ultimatum and threatens to 'blow up rest' of country
Iran has issued a response after Donald Trump threatened to 'blow up the rest of their country, their leaders included'.
It comes after the US president unilaterally extended the two week deadline that was previously set for the countries to negotiate an agreement, despite Trump previously claiming that he is 'not going to be rushed into making a bad deal'.
The two week deadline was set following the intervention of Pakistan when Trump posted on Truth Social that 'a whole civilization will die tonight'.
Now, in a new announcement Trump has said that the deadline has been extended, even though he 'expected to be bombing'.
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He wrote: “Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.
“I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.”
Trump has also threatened to 'blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included' in a separate post.
Iran has responded by saying that it will not give in to Trump's 'helpless and nervous' threats.
The speaker of Iran's parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a lead negotiator for Iran, has also condemned Trump's extension as 'a ploy to buy time for a surprise strike', via a statement from his senior advisor saying that 'the time for Iran to take the initiative has come'.
In a statement on social media, Ghalibaf's advisor Mahdi Mohammadi wrote: "Trump's ceasefire extension means nothing. The losing side cannot dictate terms. The continuation of the siege is no different from bombardment and must be met with a military response.
"Moreover, Trump's ceasefire extension is certainly a ploy to buy time for a surprise strike. The time for Iran to take the initiative has come."
The crisis over the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 percent of world oil shipping passes, is also continuing.
Iran had previously closed the narrow strait, located between Iran's southern coast and the United Arab Emirates, but Trump has responded with a US blockade.
But Iran has since said that the lifting of the US blockade is a condition for them to enter negotiations.
"They only say they want it closed because I have it totally BLOCKADED (CLOSED!), so they merely want to 'save face','' Trump posted on social media.
"People approached me four days ago, saying, 'Sir, Iran wants to open up the Strait, immediately'.
"But if we do that, there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included!"
Trump also claimed that Iran was losing $500 million a day over the closure and that 'military and police [are] complaining that they are not getting paid.'
Topics: News, US News, World News, Donald Trump, Iran
Kit Roberts