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The President of the United States has decided to extend his initial 48-hour ultimatum to Iran, urging them to either forge an agreement or reopen the crucial waterway that was closed late last month. As the clock ticks down with less than 48 hours remaining, he has issued a stark warning that “time is running out.”
In a post on Truth Social, the President reminded the public of his previous demand, stating, “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT.” He emphasized the urgency of the situation by declaring, “Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
In response, Iran has issued a defiant statement of its own, cautioning the United States that it is prepared to retaliate with “hell” if provoked.
“Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Iran has responded with a threat of its own, warning the US it will return “hell”.
“Do not forget that if aggression expands the entire region will turn into a hell for you,” a spokesperson for the Iranian military’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said.
“The illusion of defeating the Islamic Republic of Iran has turned into a swamp in which you will sink.”
Iran is showing no signs of yielding to Trump’s deadlines, raising questions about how the US will respond if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened within 48 hours.
Trump was accused of yet another TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) moment when he backed down from his initial 48-hour deadline.
When the countdown reached its final hours, the president announced he would extend it another five days after the countries had a “very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East”.
Top Iranian politician Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf later denied that negotiations had been held and said the “fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped”.
As the deadline looms, the US and Iran are racing against another ticking clock to find an American airman missing after an F15-E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down by Iran on Friday.
One member of the two-person crew was rescued but the search continues for the second. 
It was one of two US military aircraft that went down after being struck by Iran. A single-crew A-10 Warhog was hit and its pilot was later rescued.
US officials have been unusually quiet about the missing airperson.
Speaking to The Independent about whether they could be harmed, Trump said: “We hope that’s not going to happen”.
Iranian officials have placed a $US60,000 ($87,000) bounty on the member’s capture, which would be an incredible coup for the country in its negotiations with the US.
It has been more than 20 years since a US military plane was shot down over enemy soil.
The last time it happened was during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, when an Iraqi missile struck an A-10 Thunderbolt II.
The pilot in that attack ejected safely and was rescued by coalition ground forces.
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