In a pointed critique directed at President Donald Trump, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations condemned a recent social media post by Trump as “deeply irresponsible” and “profoundly alarming.” This statement came just hours before President Trump’s deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial maritime passage that has become a focal point of tension between the U.S. and Iran. President Trump has issued an ultimatum to the Iranian government, demanding the reopening of this strategic waterway by 8 p.m. ET, failing which he has threatened military strikes on Iranian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges.

In a morning post on Truth Social, Trump ominously stated, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” adding, “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” This incendiary rhetoric has sparked significant concern on the international stage.

Addressing the situation at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the U.N., expressed deep unease over the President’s comments. “Today, the President of the United States employed language that is not only deeply irresponsible but profoundly alarming,” Iravani remarked. He highlighted Trump’s assertion that “the whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back,” emphasizing the gravity of such statements.

Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s U.N. ambassador, and President Donald Trump. (Timothy Clary/AFP via Getty Images; Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

“It is regrettable and alarming that while in full view of the international community, the President of the United States shamelessly and brazenly issues threats to destroy all civilian infrastructure in Iran, including bridges, power plants and energy facilities, by setting a deadline and openly reveals this intent to commit vile crimes and crimes against humanity,” Iravani added. 

The White House, when asked by Fox News Digital for reaction, said, “The Iranian regime has committed egregious human rights abuses against its own citizens for 47 years, just murdered tens of thousands of protestors in January, and has indiscriminately targeted civilians across the region in order to cause as much death as possible throughout this conflict.”

A satellite image shows the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, vital for global energy supply. (Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital)

“As President Trump said today, Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, and the Iranian people welcome the sound of bombs because it means their oppressors are losing. The President will always stand with innocent civilians while annihilating the terrorists responsible for threatening our country and the entire world with a nuclear weapon,” White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly added. “Greater destruction can be avoided if the regime understands the seriousness of this moment and makes a deal with the United States.”

Trump also said Tuesday, “now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?” 

“We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World,” the president added. “47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!” 

Donald Trump has announced that the United States and Iran are considering a collaborative effort in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, with Iran potentially collecting $1 million per vessel passing through.

In an announcement made last night, Trump revealed that Iran has agreed to a temporary two-week ceasefire and will reopen this crucial oil transit route as both nations deliberate over a proposed 10-point peace plan.

While the specific terms of this agreement are still under negotiation, Iran is reportedly seeking to impose tolls of up to $1 million on ships during this two-week window, according to a Middle Eastern official who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Trump expressed his support for this initiative during an interview with ABC on Wednesday, stating, “We’re considering it as a joint venture. It’s a strategy for ensuring security—not just for us, but from many other threats as well.”

He added, “It’s a beautiful thing.”

The vital Strait through which a fifth of the world’s oil flows has now become known as the ‘Tehran Tollbooth’.

Ship owners go through a complex and expensive process of negotiation. 

The ships must inform intermediary companies linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of the ship’s cargo, destination, and ultimate owner, according to Bloomberg.

Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 6

A boat approaches the St Kitt’s and Nevis-flagged container ship Marsa Victory while crusing in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Khasab in Oman’s northern Musandam peninsula on June 25 

Iran then charges a ‘toll’ of at least $1 per barrel – and this must be paid in Chinese yuan or cryptocurrency.

The average rate for a single oil tanker is $2 million. If everything is approved, IRGC boats will finally provide an escort into and out of the ‘tollbooth’.

Some analysts believe it could make as much as $500 billion in five years.

The exact terms of the peace deal have not been revealed.

Trump said Wednesday: ‘They are very good points – and most of them have been fully negotiated. If it isn’t good, we’ll go right back to it very easily.’ 

The ten-point plan, reported by Iran’s Tasnim news agency, says that the US should accept Tehran’s continued control over the Strait, recognize its right to uranium enrichment, lift all sanctions, pay compensation, and withdraw all troops from the region.

Trump vowed that Iran will not be able to enrich uranium and that the US will coordinate with Tehran to extract ‘nuclear dust’ buried deep underground after airstrikes.

The President wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday: ‘There will be no enrichment of uranium, and the United States will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 bombers) nuclear “dust.”‘ 

An unnamed regional official told the Associated Press that Iran wants to charge tolls of up to $1million on ships that pass through the Strait during the two-week period 

According to the White House the safety of the uranium was confirmed before an eleventh hour deal was struck. 

‘Nothing has been touched from the date of attack,’ Trump said, claiming that the nuclear site has been watched closely since it was bombed.

It is not clear whether Trump was referring to the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, or to more recent strikes during the current Iran war.

Trump said that tariff and sanctions relief were being discussed as part of a peace plan with ‘many’ points already agreed.

Trump described the deal as ‘total and complete victory.’

It comes after claims that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had instructed his negotiators to move towards a deal, according to Axios.

Three sources with knowledge of the matter told the news outlet that by Monday night, mediators had US approval for an updated proposal for the ceasefire before Khamenei, who was actively involved in the decision-making process, gave his blessing for his negotiators to cut a deal.

‘Without his green light, there wouldn’t have been a deal,’ one of the sources said. 

Iranians burn U.S. and Israeli flags on Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Following the toll demands from Iran, the vital Strait has now become known as the ‘Tehran Tollbooth’.

Ship owners go through a complex and expensive process of negotiation. 

According to Bloomberg, the ships must inform intermediary companies linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of the ship’s cargo, destination, and ultimate owner.

Iran then charges a ‘toll’ of at least $1 barrel – and this must be paid in Chinese yuan or cryptocurrency.

The average rate for a single oil tanker is $2million. If everything is approved, IRGC boats will finally provide an escort into and out of the ‘tollbooth’. 

Some analysts believe it could make as much as $500billion in five years. 

In a Truth Social post just past midnight, Trump said the US would be ‘helping with the traffic buildup in the Strait of Hormuz,’ adding: ‘Big money will be made.’

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said that if attacks against Iran stop, Iranian operations will cease as well.

The country’s military will coordinate safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire, he added in a post on X.

The US and Iran will now engage in negotiations over the next two weeks, buying some time to try to reach a permanent settlement. 

It is unlikely to be smooth sailing, but in after-hours trading, the price of a barrel of oil dropped below the $100 mark for the first time in days, and US stock futures soared.      

Following the confirmation of the deal, the US President hailed ‘a big day for world peace’ after agreeing to pause the attacks.

Iran has ‘had enough’ of the conflict, the US president said on Truth Social, and there will now be ‘lots of positive action’. 

Israel has also agreed to halt attacks on Iran for two weeks, a senior White House official told Axios, with the ceasefire taking effect once the Strait of Hormuz is reopened. 

Iran accepted the Pakistan-brokered deal after a last-minute Chinese intervention urged Tehran to show flexibility over the war’s economic fallout, three Iranian officials told the New York Times. 

However, the ceasefire deal has also received heavy criticism with US representative Maxwell Frost saying of the deal: ‘A last-minute ceasefire doesn’t erase President Trump’s reckless decisions that got us here. 

Iranians burn U.S. and Israeli flags during a demonstration following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire

Iranians wave flags during a demonstration in Tehran

Iranians react after a ceasefire announcement at the Enqelab square, in Tehran

‘We should’ve never been in this illegal war. Trump is a dangerous warmonger who pushed us into this crisis and threatened to commit war crimes.’ 

Victor LaGroon, a former US Army intelligence analyst and national security expert, echoed these concerns, telling theGrio that details remain unclear regarding Iran’s 10-point plan and ‘what the U.S. achieved in this agreement.’

‘I, like every American, believe that peace is a good thing, but, given the number of times this administration has moved the goal post of what success looks like, I fear this war will continue to cost us billions of dollars and possibly American lives,’ said LaGroon.

US crude oil prices plunged after Trump’s announcement, with West Texas Intermediate contracts falling by more than 15 percent to $95 per barrel after hitting $116 earlier Tuesday. 

Trump had warned Tuesday morning that ‘a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again’ if no deal was reached by his 8pm ET deadline. 

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is also heading to the Middle East this morning, where he will meet with RAF crews protecting allied airspace, before addressing troops. 

In the first comments on the deal, Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘I welcome the ceasefire agreement reached overnight, which will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world.

‘Together with our partners, we must do all we can to support and sustain this ceasefire, turn it into a lasting agreement and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.’

He will be holding bilateral meetings with ‘Gulf partners’ and ‘regional leaders’ today – although Downing Street is yet to say who exactly he’ll be meeting.

Number 10 has said these will focus on ‘practical efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz’.

Trump said that the 10-point proposal ‘is a workable basis on which to negotiate,’ despite saying on Monday that the deal was not ‘good enough.’ 

Donald Trump took to Truth Social to hail a ‘big day for World Peace’ following the ceasefire agreement

Donald Trump announced last night that Iran has agreed to a two-week ceasefire and will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, after Tehran submitted a ten-point peace plan to end the war

Iran and the USA agreed to the two-week truce to halt military operations and keep the Strait of Hormuz open for oil and gas shipments, with formal peace talks set to begin in Islamabad on 10 April

Video on Tuesday showed women and children waving flags as chanting blared on a loudspeaker at a power plant after Trump threatened to bomb infrastructure

An explosion erupts following strikes near Azadi Tower close to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on March 7 

Vice President JD Vance, along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, have been leading US negotiations to end the war, which was launched on February 28 – dubbed Operation Epic Fury.

The deal came after Pakistani PM Sharif posted on X that major breakthroughs had been made between US and Iranian negotiators. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: ‘There are discussions about face-to-face meetings between the United States and Iran, but nothing is final until it is announced by the President or the White House.’ 

Following the reaching of the deal, Israel’s main opposition leader, Yair Lapid, sharply criticised the move, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to achieve the war’s objectives.

‘There has never been a political disaster like this in our entire history. Israel was not even close to the table when decisions were made concerning the core of our national security,’ Lapid wrote on X.

‘The army carried out everything that was asked of it, and the public showed remarkable resilience, but Netanyahu failed politically, failed strategically, and did not achieve any of the goals he himself set.’

Iran proposed the 10-point counter-proposal to US negotiators via Pakistani officials on Monday after the US gave Islamabad a 15-point proposal to begin a ceasefire. 

The President refused to comment on the 10-point plan earlier on Tuesday, telling Fox News: ‘I can’t comment, because right now we’re in heated negotiations.’ 

Trump said on Monday at a White House press conference that the plan was a ‘significant step,’ but he added that it is ‘not good enough.’ 

Iranians burn U.S. and Israeli flags during a demonstration following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire at Enghelab Square in Tehran

Celebrations erupted on Wednesday in Tehran following the two-week ceasefire deal

A man holds a photo of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, while the flags of the U.S. and Israel are burnt, as people gather after a two-week ceasefire in the Iran war was announced, in Tehran

Sharif had called on both Trump and the Iranian regime to accept the two-week ceasefire before the President finally relented. 

‘To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend the deadline for two weeks. Pakistan, in all sincerity, requests the Iranian brothers to open Strait of Hormuz for a corresponding period of two weeks as a goodwill gesture,’ Sharif said on Tuesday afternoon. 

‘We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region.’

Even before the deadline expired, airstrikes had already hit two bridges and a train station. American forces also struck military infrastructure on Kharg Island for the second time, a key hub for Iranian oil production.

Israel’s military warned of an increased risk of inbound attacks as Trump’s deadline approached.

Before the announcement, blasts were heard in the Qatari capital Doha, while the UAE said its air defenses were responding to missile threats. 

Iran’s Lavan oil refinery hit after US ceasefire announcement

In a show of military force, North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on Wednesday, marking its second missile test in as many days. This aggressive action coincided with a senior North Korean official’s harsh criticism of South Korea’s aspirations for improved diplomatic ties, according to reports from South Korea’s military.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that multiple missiles were fired from the Wonsan region along North Korea’s eastern coast on Wednesday morning. These missiles traveled approximately 240 kilometers (or 150 miles) in the direction of the country’s eastern waters. Later in the day, an additional missile was launched, covering more than 700 kilometers (around 435 miles) before landing off North Korea’s east coast.

The South Korean military assured that it remains vigilant and prepared to counter any provocations from the North, bolstered by a robust military alliance with the United States. This development follows the detection of another unidentified projectile launched from North Korea’s capital region on Tuesday.

According to South Korean media, this projectile, which is also suspected to be a ballistic missile, vanished from military radars after demonstrating an unusual pattern during its initial flight stage, suggesting that the launch may have been unsuccessful.

‘CREDIBLE INTELLIGENCE’ REVEALS NORTH KOREA’S SUCCESSOR TO KIM JONG UN, SOUTH KOREA SAYS

People at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, on April 8, 2026, watch as the news shows file imagery of North Korea’s missile launch. The missile tests come as North Korea continues weapons development and strengthens ties with Russia and China. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

The back-to-back launches came after North Korea made it clear that it has no intention of improving ties with South Korea, whose liberal government has steadfastly expressed its hopes to restore long-dormant dialogue.

On Tuesday night, Jang Kum Chol, first vice minister at Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry, said South Korea would always remain North Korea’s “most hostile enemy state.” He derided South Korea as “world-startling fools” engaged in wishful thinking over a recent statement by Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

After South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over alleged civilian drone flights into North Korea, Kim Yo Jong late Monday praised him for what she called honesty and courage, but reiterated a threat to retaliate if such flights recur. South Korean officials responded by describing Kim Yo Jong’s statement as meaningful progress in relations.

NORTH KOREAN DICTATOR SAYS GOVERNMENT WILL KEEP CEMENTING NATION’S ‘IRREVERSIBLE STATUS AS A NUCLEAR POWER’
 

Kim Jong Un delivers a speech in Pyongyang, North Korea, on February 15, 2026. North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern waters on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, after rejecting South Korea’s overtures for improved relations. (KCNA VIA KNS / AFP via Getty Images)

Jang said her statement was intended as a warning. He cited Kim Yo Jong as calling South Korea “the dogs affected by mange that blindly bark to the tune of neighboring dogs” as she criticized it for recently co-sponsoring a U.N. resolution on the North’s purported human rights violations.

North Korea has refused to return to talks with South Korea and the U.S. and pushed to expand its nuclear arsenal since Kim Jong Un’s diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. North Korea has instead sought to strengthen ties with Russia, China and other countries embroiled in confrontations with the U.S. Last September, Kim Jong Un traveled to Beijing to attend a military parade alongside other foreign leaders and held his first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in six years.

North Korea’s state media said Wednesday that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit North Korea on Thursday for a two-day trip.

NORTH KOREA TESTS SOLID-FUEL MISSILE ENGINE AS KIM BOOSTS THREAT TO US MAINLAND
 

People walk down the street in Pyongyang on March 23, 2026. Pyongyang escalated tensions with back-to-back missile tests on April 8, 2026, while issuing harsh rhetoric against Seoul’s diplomatic efforts. (KIM Won Jin / AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier this week, North Korea said Kim Jong Un had observed a test of an upgraded solid-fuel engine for weapons and called it a significant development boosting his country’s strategic military arsenal.

Missiles with built-in solid propellants are easier to move and conceal their launches than liquid-fuel weapons, which in general must be fueled before liftoff and cannot last long.

South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Monday the engine test was likely related to an effort to build a more powerful solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile that can carry multiple nuclear warheads, according to lawmakers who attended the meeting.

Experts say North Korea wants multi-warhead missiles to penetrate U.S. missile defenses, but they doubt Pyongyang has mastered the technology needed to acquire such a weapon.