Hours after US President Donald Trump made an expletive-filled threat to destroy Iran's civilian infrastructure, Tehran hit back, warning that the US president was dragging his country into a ‘living hell’ and risking a wider crisis across the Middle East.
"Your reckless moves are dragging the United States into a living HELL for every single family, and our whole region is going to burn because you insist on following Netanyahu’s commands. Make no mistake: You won’t gain anything through war crimes," Speaker of the Parliament of Iran Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf tweeted shortly after Trump's abusive-laden threat to Iran.
He added that the only real solution is respecting the rights of the Iranian people and ending this dangerous game.
Earlier, Trump in a profanity-laced social media post Sunday said, Tuesday will be “Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it.”
His direct message to Iran’s leaders is, “Open the F------ Strait, you crazy b-------, or you’ll be living in HELL – JUST WATCH.”
He threatened to strike Iran if Tehran failed to meet his April 6 deadline to either reach a deal or reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump later posted on social media, without mentioning Iran or any other details: "Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!"
Shortly after his abusive rant on Truth Social, Trump gave an interview to Fox News where he said, "If they don’t make a deal, and fast, I’m considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil."
Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei led Tehran’s charge against Donald Trump’s threats, calling them "incitement for war crimes" and evidence of a "criminal mindset" amounting to crimes against humanity.
In an interview with Reuters, he said targeting a country’s critical infrastructure and energy sector would put the entire population at risk, adding that such actions "amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity."
Iran's culture minister Sayed Reza Salihi-Amiri, meanwhile, dismissed President Donald Trump's latest threats, calling the US leader an "unstable, delusional figure."
Iran's ally Russia also condemned Trump's threat.
Moscow said Washington should abandon "the language of ultimatums" and return to negotiations, according to a Russian readout of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's latest call with his Iranian counterpart.