War in Iran: Strikes on an Iranian nuclear plant; disappearance of an American pilot in Iran…

Recap at 18:15

• Trump gives Iranians 48 hours to reach an agreement before “unleashing hell on them.”
• Iranian Revolutionary Guards claim to have targeted an Israeli-affiliated ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Russia evacuates 198 employees from the Bushehr nuclear plant in Iran after an attack.
• In the Netherlands, an explosion occurred near a pro-Israel Christian association, causing no injuries.

16:50 – Washington announces arrests of relatives of former Iranian General Soleimani in the United States

The US State Department announced on Saturday that it had arrested the niece and grandniece of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a drone strike ordered by Donald Trump in 2020.

“Last night, the niece and grandniece of General Qassem Soleimani from the Revolutionary Guards Corps were arrested by federal agents following Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s revocation of their permanent residency status,” said a State Department spokesperson. The niece was identified as Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and accused of openly supporting the Islamic Republic.

16:10 – Trump gives Iranians 48 hours to reach an agreement before unleashing hell on them

Donald Trump has given Iranians “48 hours” to “reach an agreement or reopen the Strait of Hormuz,” otherwise the United States would “unleash hell on them.” “Remember when I gave Iran 10 days to reach an agreement or reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Time is running out – 48 hours before unleashing hell on them. Glory to GOD!” wrote the US president on his Truth Social platform this Easter weekend.

On March 26, Donald Trump issued a 10-day ultimatum to Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime route for the global economy blocked by Iran since the start of the war. The deadline was set for “Monday, April 6 at 8:00 pm Washington time.” In the absence of reopening the strait, the US president had threatened to destroy power plants in Iran.

15:15 – Russia evacuates 198 employees from the Bushehr nuclear plant in Iran

Russia initiated the evacuation of 198 employees from the Bushehr plant in Iran after an attack on Saturday. The head of the Russian nuclear giant Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, stated that buses carrying “198 people” left “about 20 minutes after” the strike in the nuclear plant area, which resulted in one casualty but no damage to the facilities, according to Iranian authorities.

Russia later described the strike as a “sinister action.”