Iran brands Trump's 48-hour ultimatum ‘helpless and nervous’ after he warns 'hell will rain down' if peace talks fail
Trump's comments come as the US and Iran race to find an American airman who was shot down in enemy territory.
Iran has rejected Donald Trump’s 48-hour ultimatum to agree to US peace terms despite the president warning the US will “rain hell” on the country if negotiations fail.
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Taking to TruthSocial on Saturday, Trump warned Tehran “time is running out” and gave the Iranian government 48 hours to agree a deal with the US or face a massive wave of attacks.
He wrote: “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT.
“Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD.”
This gambit has seemingly failed, however, with Iran’s central military command branding his threat “a helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action.”
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Read more: Keir Starmer condemns ‘reckless’ Iranian attack on Kuwaiti oil refinery and offers support
Later on Saturday, the US President shared a video of another wave of attacks on Iran, with massive explosions lighting up Tehran’s skyline.
He captioned the video: “Many of Iran’s Military Leaders, who have led them poorly and unwisely, are terminated, along with much else, with this massive strike in Tehran!”
Trump's comments come as the US and Iran race to find an American airman who was shot down in enemy territory.
Iran is offering a "precious prize" for the pilot's capture, with some reports claiming anyone who is able to capture the US airman would be given $60,000.
Iran said it shot down a second US warplane over the Gulf, which US media said was an A-10 Warthog.
It was reportedly shot at during a search-and-rescue mission for the first downed aircraft. The Warthog's pilot ejected over the Gulf and was subsequently rescued.Trump has said negotiations to end the Iran war won't be affected by the latest events.
Asked by NBC if Friday's events would affect any peace discussions, the US leader said: "No, not at all. No, it's war. We're in war."
Video footage shared on social media has shown armed Iranian men firing at US helicopters searching for the pilot.
The video shows three men wearing white shirts and black trousers jumping out of a car beside a field in southwestern Iran.
As one low-flying helicopter passes by, the men open fire with what appear to be automatic rifles.The person filming says: "Shoot, shoot. Well done! Shoot.”
Tehran fired drones and missiles at targets across the Middle East on Friday, setting a refinery on fire and damaging a desalination plant in Kuwait.
Sir Keir Starmer has condemned the “reckless” Iranian attack on an oil refinery in Kuwait and confirmed the deployment of Britain’s rapid sentry air defence system to the Gulf country.
In a call with Kuwait’s crown prince, the Prime Minister also discussed coordinated efforts to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz oil and gas shipping lane blockaded by Iran in retaliation for the US-Israeli campaign against it.
Trump recently threatened to hit Iran’s bridges and electric power plants, saying the US military “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran.”
His comments came after a deadly US air strike on a major suspension bridge near Tehran, which the UN’s humanitarian relief chief Tom Fletcher said constituted a breach of international law.