Trump gives Iran 48 hours to make deal or face ‘Hell’

A sign depicting US President Donald Trump, with the caption “you will not erase our memory” in Arabic, is displayed before a memorial depicting Qassem Soleimani, the slain commander of the “Quds Force” of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) who was killed by a US airstrike in 2020, along the road leading to Beirut International Airport in Beirut on April 4, 2026. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2 when Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel to avenge the killing of the Iranian leader. Israel has responded with broad strikes across Lebanon and a ground offensive.

President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Tehran had 48 hours left to cut a deal or face “all Hell”, as US and Iranian forces scrambled to find a downed American airman. Trump’s latest threat came after a strike near an Iranian nuclear power plant prompted evacuations, and as Tehran announced fresh attacks in the region, with the Revolutionary Guards saying they hit a commercial ship in Bahrain allegedly linked to Israel. The war erupted more than a month ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, triggering a retaliation that has spread the conflict throughout the Middle East and convulsed the global economy – particularly due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for oil and gas.

“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to an ultimatum issued on March 26. “Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them.” Tehran said on Friday it had shot down an F-15 warplane and US media reported United States special forces had rescued one of its two crew members, with the other still missing. Iran’s military also said it downed a US A-10 ground attack aircraft in the Gulf, with US media saying the pilot of that plane was rescued. He added that “last night, people fired at enemy helicopters with rifles and did not allow them to land”.