After the official statements made by President Donald Trump on April 1, 2026, threatening Iran, “we will hit them very hard over the next two to three weeks…We will bring them back to the Stone Age, where they belong,” Tehran responded the next day by threatening to launch “devastating” attacks against the United States and Israel while firing multiple missiles at Tel Aviv.
The Iranian military coordination center Khatam Al-Anbiya broadcasted a statement on state television, warning the United States and Israel to expect “more crushing, extensive, and destructive actions…This war will continue until your humiliation, dishonor, ultimate and certain regrets, and surrender.”
Regarding Washington’s ceasefire proposals “on its conditions” (essentially, complete capitulation), Iran rejected them as “maximalist and irrational.” The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, stated on April 2 that there were no direct negotiations with the United States, although messages were received through intermediaries like Pakistan.
President Trump reassured Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain – all hit hard by Iranian drone and missile attacks – that the US “will not allow them to be hit or fail in any way.”
A video conference led by British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper was held the following day from London, with around forty countries participating at the initiative of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The goal was to discuss ways to reopen the currently blocked Strait of Hormuz by Iran, with the United States not being part of the meeting.
Throughout the conflict, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards vowed on April 1 to keep the strait closed to “enemies” of the country.
Participants in the summit included the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, and the UAE. They signed a declaration demanding Iran cease its blockades and commit to “contributing to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the waterway.”
This event marked the first step followed by “working meetings” among officials to refine the details.
However, Starmer announced that military planners from several countries would soon come together to secure maritime transportation “after combat ceases.” He acknowledged that reopening maritime transport “will not be easy” and will require “a unified front of military strength and diplomatic activity” alongside industry partnerships.
Since the conflict began on February 28, 2026, Lloyd’s reported 23 direct attacks on commercial ships in the Gulf resulting in eleven crew members killed.
The Iranian government claimed that “non-hostile” ships could still pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which is only closed to ships from enemy countries and their allies.
The destruction of a bridge under construction near the Iranian capital was hailed by President Trump, who called on Iranian leaders to “reach an agreement before it’s too late.” Tehran reported eight civilian deaths and 95 injuries from this attack.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, stated that targeting “civilian infrastructure, including unfinished bridges, will not force Iranians to surrender.”
Hossein Kermanpour, the Iranian Health Ministry’s spokesman, reported severe damage to parts of the Pasteur Institute in Tehran due to Israeli and US airstrikes. The institute, established in 1921 after the 1919 Spanish flu pandemic wave, focuses on advanced research, biomedical programs, biopharmaceutical specialties, diagnostic kits, and vaccine development.
President Massoud Pezeshkian admonished Americans for their true priority in this conflict, accusing Washington of “war crimes and being influenced by Israel” shortly before Trump’s address.
Even within the Trump administration, tensions seem high. The army’s chief of staff, Randy George, whose term ran until 2027, was recently removed by the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth.
Despite unclear and shifting goals from Trump, Eric Brewer raised critical questions, pondering Iran’s future once its military is destroyed, its nuclear dust buried, and the Strait capable of opening after a ceasefire.
Trump may have at least accomplished one thing: uniting a significant portion of the Iranian people – even those opposed to the regime – in anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiment that could endure.
This sentiment appears to be growing even among allies, as they are being humiliated by Trump’s sharp remarks and fully embraced trade war tactics.
