Photo: Governor Tom Wolf from Harrisburg, PA | CC BY 2.0 | Wikimedia Commons
House Democrat Glenn Ivey Presses New Iran War Powers Vote as He Cites $54 Billion Cost and $1‑Per‑Gallon Gas Price Jump
House Democrats are pressing a new Iran War Powers vote after Rep. Glenn Ivey (D‑Md.) publicly urged the House to force a measure that would require President Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress issues a formal declaration of war, allowing only defensive actions in the meantime. Ivey framed the push around both strategy and cost: he said the Iran campaign has already cost roughly $54 billion and coincided with U.S. retail gasoline prices rising by more than $1 per gallon. The renewed effort comes as Congress returns from recess amid an administration that imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and after explosive presidential threats — including explicit warnings to strike Iranian power plants and bridges and a Tuesday deadline for reopening the strait — which many lawmakers and outside observers have said raise legal and humanitarian concerns.
Those economic and strategic claims help explain Democratic urgency. The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical chokepoint, carrying roughly 21 million barrels of oil per day, about 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption, so disruptions there can ripple through global markets; a $1‑per‑gallon increase in pump prices is estimated to cost the average U.S. household about $857 a year. Social media amplified the political argument: Rep. Ivey and others used platforms to link war spending to domestic shortfalls, analysts like Fareed Zakaria framed the president’s rhetoric as raising the risk of civilian harm, and posts from figures ranging from former CIA director John Brennan to Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Lisa Murkowski underscored the cross‑ideological alarm and differing prescriptions for how to respond.
Coverage of the episode has shifted noticeably. Early reporting tended to treat the administration’s threats and military moves as aggressive statecraft or a coercive negotiating posture; later stories documented a widening backlash that included not just Democrats but prominent conservative voices and even some erstwhile Trump allies. Outlets including Fox News, MS NOW and PBS began running pieces highlighting internal GOP unease, calls from a range of lawmakers for either impeachment or 25th Amendment action, and increasing Democratic coordination to force war‑powers floor votes. That evolution in coverage — from depicting the moves as part of a hard‑line strategy to foregrounding intra‑party fractures and legal/ethical alarms — helped propel congressional momentum for another vote and framed the debate as both a national‑security and accountability question for Capitol Hill.
Iran War and Strait of Hormuz
Donald Trump
Iran War
U.S. National Security
Donald Trump Statements and Threats
This story is compiled from 24 sources using AI-assisted curation and analysis. Original reporting is attributed below. Learn about our methodology.
📊 Relevant Data
The Strait of Hormuz carries approximately 21 million barrels of oil per day, equivalent to about 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption.
World Oil Transit Chokepoints — U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
A $1 per gallon increase in gas prices is projected to cost the average U.S. household an additional $857 annually in fuel expenses.
Pain at the pump: What spiking gas prices mean for consumers, the economy and affordability — Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR)
📌 Key Facts
- President Trump issued expletive‑laden public threats on social media and in a newspaper interview demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz by a Tuesday deadline or face strikes on infrastructure — saying lines such as “Open the F—-n’ Strait... you’ll be living in Hell,” labeling the target day “Power Plant Day and Bridge Day,” warning “a whole civilization will die tonight,” and appending “Praise be to Allah” to a post.
- The White House defended the rhetoric as effective statecraft, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the threats helped secure a two‑week cease‑fire and reopen the Strait and that a Department of War “targeted list” was ready; human‑rights groups and outside observers warned attacks on power plants, desalination and bridges could chiefly harm civilians and raise war‑crimes concerns.
- The confrontation has already seen kinetic escalation: airstrikes on Tehran, U.S. raids on Kharg Island, a U.S. Navy blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and reported U.S. casualties of 13 troops killed and hundreds wounded.
- Lawmakers and others warn of mounting economic costs and domestic impact: Rep. Glenn Ivey and others say the Iran war has cost roughly $54 billion and pushed U.S. gasoline prices up by more than $1 per gallon, a key argument driving renewed congressional action.
- Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries are preparing new War Powers votes in both chambers to force congressional authorization before further strikes on Iran; House Democrats are actively courting GOP defections and may press to cancel recess — an earlier March war‑powers bid (from Rep. Thomas Massie) failed 212–219.
- Domestic political reaction is sharp and divided: dozens of Democrats and some former Trump allies have publicly pushed for removal by impeachment or the 25th Amendment, while other Democrats say 25th‑Amendment removal is not realistic now; many Republicans and some Senate leaders continue to defend Trump’s actions as “peace through strength.”
- Regional diplomacy is active: Pakistan is pushing a second round of the “Islamabad Process” to try to revive talks before a cease‑fire deadline, and China engaged directly with Tehran and has been credited (including by Trump) with helping secure the temporary truce ahead of a planned Xi‑Trump summit.
- Timing and legal levers are driving congressional strategy: Democrats are watching the War Powers 60‑day clock (with an April 29 marker cited by some) as potential leverage to win GOP defections, and leaders in both chambers are preparing forced votes to constrain further U.S. hostilities.
📊 Analysis & Commentary (5)
MORNING GLORY: President Trump leads the West to a big win against Iran
"A pro‑Trump Fox News commentary framing the newly announced two‑week U.S.–Iran ceasefire as a major, conditional victory for President Trump — crediting his threats and recent military actions (including rescue operations) with producing leverage — while warning the pause is fragile and must be tested by Iran’s reopening of the Strait of Hormuz."
DAVID MARCUS: Trump's high-stakes geopolitical poker is restoring US power
"An opinion piece argues that President Trump’s blunt, deadline‑driven threats and willingness to play a high‑risk 'geopolitical poker' produced leverage in the Iran conflict, forced a ceasefire and are restoring U.S. power — a view that comments directly on reporting about Trump’s 'civilization will die tonight' threats and the claimed effect on the truce."
How Trump Miscalculated in Iran
"The WSJ opinion critiques the Trump administration’s Iran strategy, arguing that blunt threats won a fragile pause but misread and cannot resolve the ideological roots of the Iranian regime, making the apparent ceasefire a limited tactical success rather than a strategic victory."
Swearing Belongs to the People, Not Politicians
"A polemical defense of coarse, populist political speech that rebukes efforts to remove or punish leaders for profanity — arguing decorum policing is hypocritical, distracts from substantive issues like threats and policy, and belongs to the people rather than elite politicians."
Trump Is Turning America Into a Psychotic State
"A forceful NYT opinion arguing that Mr. Trump’s apocalyptic Iran threats and the failure of institutional checks are rendering American governance irrational and dangerous, and that urgent institutional resistance is required."
📰 Source Timeline (24)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
April 14, 2026
10:00 AM
House Dem reveals why his party should challenge Trump on Iran as gas prices soar $1 per gallon
New information:
- Rep. Glenn Ivey, D‑Md., is publicly demanding consideration of a new Democrat‑led Iran war powers resolution that would force President Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities in Iran absent a formal declaration of war, allowing only defensive action.
- Ivey ties the renewed push directly to economic fallout, saying the Iran war has already cost $54 billion and driven U.S. gasoline prices up by more than $1 per gallon with “no end in sight.”
- The article recounts that an earlier Iran war powers resolution from Rep. Thomas Massie, R‑Ky., failed in March, with Speaker Mike Johnson arguing “we are not at war” and calling it a “limited operation.”
- Ivey voices skepticism that current U.S.–Iran negotiations over reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resolving competing 10‑point and 15‑point proposals will produce a durable peace, saying he sees “no common ground” and is unclear what the administration’s endgame is.
April 13, 2026
5:06 PM
Obama CIA chief under DOJ scrutiny pushes fringe Trump ouster plan
New information:
- Former Obama‑era CIA Director John Brennan, currently a target of an active DOJ investigation, went on MS NOW and said the 25th Amendment 'was written with Donald Trump in mind,' explicitly calling for Trump’s removal from office.
- Brennan tied his call to Trump’s Truth Social threat that 'a whole civilization will die tonight' if Iran did not meet his April 7 Strait of Hormuz deadline, arguing it shows Trump cannot safely command U.S. nuclear and military power.
- The article confirms DOJ opened a criminal investigation into Brennan in July 2025 over alleged mishandling of the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment and his 2023 House Judiciary testimony about the Steele dossier’s role, and that Brennan’s lawyers say DOJ has told them he is a target.
- House Republicans allege Brennan lied to Congress in 2023 by denying that the Steele dossier was used in preparing the 2017 ICA on Russian interference, a core theory driving the DOJ probe.
2:40 PM
Congress returns to grapple with Iran war, DHS shutdown, expulsion votes
New information:
- Congress is returning to Washington from a two‑week recess just after Trump threatened that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not agree to a deal, followed by a two‑week cease‑fire and failed marathon talks in Islamabad led by Vice President JD Vance.
- President Trump announced Sunday that the U.S. Navy will impose a blockade preventing ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, escalating the Iran conflict.
- The White House is expected to send Congress an $80–$100 billion Iran war supplemental funding request, down from an initial $200 billion figure the Pentagon had floated, according to prior Washington Post reporting cited here.
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats are in “active conversations with Republicans” to secure “an additional handful” of GOP votes to pass a new Iran War Powers measure after a previous House effort failed 212–219.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says the Senate will force another Iran War Powers vote, arguing that the current two‑week cease‑fire is “not a strategy” and insisting that “no president” should take the country to war alone.
- The DHS shutdown, in place since Feb. 14, persists; Trump has ordered all DHS employees to be paid from “alternate funding sources” while Congress wrangles over how to fund the department and whether to exclude ICE and parts of CBP.
- After initially rejecting the Senate’s DHS funding bill as a “joke,” House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune agreed to fund DHS under the Senate approach while seeking additional immigration enforcement money later through budget reconciliation.
- The Senate has taken the first step toward funding DHS under that compromise, setting up House consideration once members return.
1:42 PM
Pakistan pushing for Round 2 of "Islamabad Process" after failed Iran talks
New information:
- Adds that Pakistan is trying to convene a second set of U.S.–Iran talks, the 'Islamabad Process,' before an April 22 cease-fire deadline, which falls just days before the April 29 War Powers clock many Democrats are eyeing.
- Underscores that Pakistani leaders are in active contact with both sides and banking on the cease-fire holding long enough to get negotiators back in the room.
9:00 AM
Democrats sense new GOP defections on a war powers vote
New information:
- House and Senate Democratic leaders plan to force new votes this week on War Powers Resolutions aimed at cutting off U.S. hostilities in Iran.
- Rep. Gregory Meeks says he is actively whipping Democrats and targeting specific Republicans, and will not bring a vote he expects to clearly lose.
- An unnamed House Republican says that while they are likely a 'lean no' on this week’s resolution, they and 'a lot of Republicans' would be 'hard yes' votes for a war powers measure once the War Powers Resolution’s 60‑day deadline hits on April 29.
- At least two of the four House Democrats who previously opposed the Iran war powers resolution now say they will back it because the administration has not laid out a clear strategy in Iran.
- The piece updates casualties to 13 U.S. troops killed and hundreds wounded and notes gas prices have risen more than $1 a gallon as Iran still effectively controls the Strait of Hormuz despite Trump’s blockade order.
April 10, 2026
1:32 PM
Dems dodge on Trump removal as party weighs 25th Amendment move
New information:
- House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin is scheduled to brief congressional Democrats on Friday about the mechanics of using Section 4 of the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump.
- Raskin publicly called Trump’s 'whole civilization' Iran threat a 'threat to commit war crimes and genocide' and urged Republicans to press Vice President JD Vance to invoke the 25th Amendment.
- Rep. Zoe Lofgren explicitly stated that 'The 25th Amendment should be invoked' due to what she called Trump’s 'increasingly unhinged behavior.'
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries endorsed holding the briefing and said Democrats are considering a 'range of accountability mechanisms,' but repeatedly refused to say whether he personally supports invoking the 25th Amendment.
- Rep. Sara Jacobs said 'All options should be on the table,' while Fox notes House Democratic leaders did not respond to detailed questions about whether they would move before the midterms.
April 09, 2026
10:13 PM
Senate Dem accuses Trump of being 'unfit for office,' joins growing call to impeach, oust president
New information:
- Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., publicly stated that President Trump is 'unfit for office' and should be removed, explicitly endorsing either the 25th Amendment or impeachment.
- Kim joins Sens. Chris Murphy, Ed Markey and Ron Wyden as part of a small group of Senate Democrats now calling for Trump’s removal over his handling of the Iran war and his 'whole civilization will die' threat.
- The article notes that while House Democrats’ sentiment for ouster is growing, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is instead focusing on another Iran war-powers resolution rather than calling for impeachment himself.
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is quoted calling 25th Amendment removal 'not realistic right now' given Trump’s Cabinet, saying Democrats must 'win this the old-fashioned way,' framing the removal push as more of a future contingency if midterms shift control.
- Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso defends Trump’s Iran policy as 'American peace through strength' and calls the ongoing operation an 'incredible success,' underscoring continued GOP backing despite criticism of Trump’s rhetoric.
8:21 PM
China Gains Favor With Trump by Dipping Into Iran Diplomacy
New information:
- The article reports that China engaged directly with Tehran on cease-fire talks and that Beijing’s role, while not central, contributed to Iran agreeing to sit down with the U.S.
- It notes that Trump is now publicly praising China’s contribution to securing the two-week truce, despite most observers crediting other regional mediators.
- It ties this diplomatic credit to Xi Jinping’s effort to build personal leverage and 'diplomatic capital' with Trump ahead of their scheduled May 14–15 summit in Beijing.
5:50 PM
House Dem leaders open door to 25th Amendment after rank-and-file push for Trump's removal
New information:
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has scheduled a Friday caucus briefing on the 25th Amendment, to be led by Rep. Jamie Raskin and House Judiciary Committee Democrats.
- Jeffries’ 'Dear Colleague' letter explicitly condemns Trump’s 'profane Easter Sunday rant' threatening to 'eradicate an entire civilization' and pledges to apply 'maximum pressure' on Republicans to curb him, while notably stopping short of personally calling for removal.
- Multiple Democratic lawmakers, including Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Robert Garcia, have explicitly called for invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump after his Iran threats.
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse publicly stated that Trump is facing 'serious mental decline' but said a 25th Amendment invocation is 'not realistic' given Trump’s Cabinet and GOP resistance.
4:12 PM
Democrats grow bolder on talk about removing Trump from office after his Iran threats
New information:
- Dozens of Democratic lawmakers have now publicly called for Trump’s removal from office—either by impeachment or via the 25th Amendment—explicitly tied to his threat that 'a whole civilization' in Iran could die.
- Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries are, for now, steering their caucus away from filing impeachment articles and instead are demanding Republicans join them to pass war‑powers legislation requiring congressional approval before further attacks on Iran.
- Democratic offices report congressional phone lines and inboxes have been flooded with constituent calls and emails, many urging impeachment or 25th Amendment action over Trump’s Iran rhetoric.
- The White House, through press secretary Karoline Leavitt, is now explicitly arguing that Trump’s 'very, very strong threat' forced Iran to 'cave to their knees,' agree to a ceasefire, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, sharpening the administration’s justification for the rhetoric as effective statecraft.
4:07 PM
Dem governor says 'something genuinely wrong with' Trump, urges removal from office for 'national security'
New information:
- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker released a new video on X explicitly calling for Trump’s removal via the 25th Amendment, saying there is 'something genuinely wrong with this man' after the 'civilization will die tonight' threat.
- Pritzker frames Trump’s 'wipe out an entire civilization' rhetoric as a national-security danger and says the 25th Amendment 'must be invoked before it’s too late.'
- The piece notes Pritzker has been calling for 25th Amendment removal since 2025 and has renewed those calls even after Trump announced a two‑week ceasefire with Iran.
3:14 PM
Fetterman breaks with Democrats, says Trump's military strikes on Iran have 'made the world safer'
New information:
- Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, went on Fox News' 'Hannity' and said President Trump’s recent military actions in Iran have 'made the world safer.'
- Fetterman explicitly stated he will vote against a new Iran war powers resolution that Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, are planning to force next week, arguing Congress should 'stand behind our military' to let Operation Epic Fury achieve its goals.
- Fetterman credited Israeli operations with killing 'many, many' Iranian nuclear scientists and destroying parts of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, and claimed Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been 'severely damaged,' while Schumer countered that Iran’s nuclear stockpile and ambitions remain 'unchecked, if not accelerated.'
April 08, 2026
9:20 PM
WATCH: Leavitt slaps down critics who called Trump's Iran threat a bluff
New information:
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at Wednesday’s briefing that Trump’s threat to 'destroy Iranian civilization' was 'not an empty threat' and was 'very, very' real.
- Leavitt claimed that Trump’s explicit threat is what led 'the Iranian regime to cave to their knees and ask for a ceasefire and agree to re-opening the Strait of Hormuz.'
- She stated the Department of War had a 'targeted list' ready to execute if Iran had not met Trump’s 8 p.m. Strait of Hormuz deadline.
- Leavitt rejected suggestions that the U.S. had lost the 'moral high ground,' calling any insinuation that Iran holds moral high ground 'insulting.'
- The article notes critics saying Trump 'chickened out' for not following through on what they themselves had called a potential 'genocide,' adding detail to domestic reaction framing.
- It reiterates that Pope Leo XIV denounced Trump’s rhetoric as 'truly unacceptable' and that Rep. Ro Khanna publicly pushed for invoking the 25th Amendment, placing those reactions directly alongside the White House defense.
April 07, 2026
7:27 PM
Trump Iran threat sparks calls for his ouster, but one Dem says effort ‘not realistic’
New information:
- Fox article reports that Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., says on X that invoking the 25th Amendment against Trump is 'not realistic right now' given Vice President JD Vance, Trump’s 'oddball Cabinet of sycophants and eccentrics,' and what he calls Republican 'spines of foam.'
- Whitehouse explicitly states that although he believes Trump is facing 'serious mental decline,' Democrats will 'have to buckle down and win this the old-fashioned way,' signaling elections, not removal, as the viable path.
- The piece lays out, in more detail than prior coverage, the procedural hurdles of the 25th Amendment: it would require JD Vance and a majority of Trump’s Cabinet to declare him unable to serve, followed by a two‑thirds vote in both chambers if Trump contested it.
- Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., is quoted on X saying that if he were in Trump’s Cabinet he would be 'calling constitutional lawyers about the 25th Amendment' and calling Trump’s Iran comments 'completely, utterly unhinged' and warning 'He’s already killed thousands. He’s going to kill thousands more.'
- The story adds Republican reaction from Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who rejects claims that planned strikes on Iranian power plants and bridges would be war crimes, saying 'No' when asked if such targeting would constitute a war crime.
- The article reminds readers that Republicans similarly floated 25th Amendment use against then‑President Joe Biden in 2024, framing the current Democratic push as part of a broader, bipartisan pattern of threatening 25th‑Amendment action against political opponents.
7:03 PM
Trump's threat to end Iranian 'civilization' sparks uproar on Capitol Hill
New information:
- Fox News article quotes Trump’s full Truth Social language linking his 'whole civilization will die tonight' threat directly to Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and his claim that 'we have Complete and Total Regime Change.'
- It details specific House progressives’ responses, including exact quotes from Reps. Delia Ramirez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib explicitly calling Trump 'sickeningly evil,' 'unhinged,' and demanding both impeachment and 25th Amendment removal.
- The piece includes an on‑record White House response from spokesman Davis Ingle dismissing the impeachment talk as 'pathetic' and accusing Democrats of pushing impeachment since before Trump took office.
- It notes that Democrats in both chambers are planning to force votes to require Trump to seek congressional authorization before using military force against Iran, and that they are pressing to cancel recess to take up war‑powers measures.
6:16 PM
Trump’s apocalyptic Iran warning raises stakes for sweeping US strike threat
New information:
- Confirms the specific formulation of Trump’s threat as 'a whole civilization will die tonight' tied to the imminent Tuesday night deadline.
- Adds detail that Trump labeled the deadline 'Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day' and explicitly threatened to destroy Iran’s infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
- Reports Iranian state media claims that officials are urging civilians to form human chains around power plants to deter U.S. strikes.
- Describes same‑day airstrikes on Tehran and additional U.S. raids on Kharg Island military targets, illustrating that escalation is already occurring even as Trump issues broader threats.
4:35 PM
Ex-Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene joins left-wing calls for the 25th amendment as Iran deadline nears
New information:
- Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a staunch Trump supporter, publicly called for invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump, writing on X: '25TH AMENDMENT!!! Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization. This is evil and madness.'
- Rep. Ilhan Omar labeled Trump 'sickeningly evil' and an 'unhinged lunatic,' explicitly urging both impeachment and 25th Amendment removal in response to his threats against Iran.
- Reps. Mark Pocan and Shri Thanedar also publicly demanded immediate 25th Amendment action, with Thanedar asserting Trump 'just threatened to slaughter 100 million people' and is unfit to hold the nuclear codes.
- The article reproduces extended passages of Trump’s recent Truth Social posts, including his line that 'a whole civilization will die tonight' and his Easter message threatening a combined 'Power Plant Day' and 'Bridge Day' in Iran if the strait is not reopened.
4:03 PM
Trump’s MAGA allies revolt over his threat to destroy Iranian civilization
New information:
- Trump escalated his rhetoric early Tuesday by posting, 'A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again... I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,' explicitly framing potential U.S. actions against Iran as destroying an entire civilization.
- High‑profile MAGA figures—including Marjorie Taylor Greene, Candace Owens, Alex Jones, and Tucker Carlson—publicly condemned Trump’s latest threats, with Greene calling them 'evil and madness,' Owens urging the 25th Amendment and calling him a 'genocidal lunatic,' Jones labeling the comments 'the definition of genocide,' and Carlson calling the Easter message 'vile on every level.'
- Former Trump national‑security and State Department officials Joe Kent and Matthew Bartlett warned that following through on such threats would end U.S. status as a stabilizing superpower and show that Trump’s 'madman theory' now just looks like a 'mad man,' arguing instead for negotiations.
- Tucker Carlson’s critical Monday‑night podcast episode attacking Trump’s Easter rhetoric drew roughly 1.1 million views on YouTube by Tuesday morning, underscoring how the backlash is resonating across the pro‑Trump media ecosystem.
April 05, 2026
11:45 PM
Trump threatens Tuesday strikes on Iran's power plants and bridges in profanity-laden post
New information:
- CBS piece provides the exact wording of a key line from Trump’s post: "Open the F*****' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell."
- Confirms timing that this ultimatum was posted on social media on Sunday morning, reiterating the specific threat to hit Iranian power plants and bridges on Tuesday.
- Attributes a short on-air segment/report to CBS correspondent Taurean Small, indicating mainstream broadcast amplification of the threat.
8:03 PM
Pope calls for peace, Trump vows hell for Iran on Easter
New information:
- Axios locates Trump’s latest 'living in Hell' threat to Iran specifically in an Easter context, contrasting it with Pope Leo XIV’s simultaneous call for peace and nonviolence.
- It emphasizes that Trump’s vow to strike power plants and bridges by Tuesday overlapped with global Christian Easter observances, sharpening criticism from religious leaders who see a disconnect between the holiday’s message and the administration’s rhetoric.
- The article highlights how Catholic and broader Christian social media are circulating side‑by‑side clips/headlines of the Pope’s sermon and Trump’s threats, turning the contrast itself into a story.
3:51 PM
Trump Warns Iran He Could Strike ‘Every Power Plant,’ in WSJ Interview
New information:
- Trump told The Wall Street Journal he could destroy 'every power plant' in Iran if the country does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday evening.
- He broadened the language to warn Iran would 'lose every power plant and every other plant they have in the whole country' if it keeps the strait closed.
- He again tied the threat to bridges as well, saying Iran 'won’t have any power plants and they won’t have any bridges standing' if it does not 'do something by Tuesday evening.'
3:41 PM
Trump issues expletive-laden threat against Iran as details of U.S. aviator's rescue emerge
New information:
- Trump’s latest comments come via an expletive‑laden social‑media post, not just a newspaper interview, again setting a Tuesday deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz or facing strikes on Iranian power plants and bridges.
- He adds the claim that Iran will be 'living in Hell' and appends 'Praise be to Allah' to the message, language likely aimed at both domestic supporters and Iranian audiences.
- Amnesty International head Agnes Callamard publicly denounces the threat on social media, warning that destruction of power infrastructure and bridges would primarily harm Iranian civilians and suggesting possible war‑crimes implications.
- The article stresses that both the U.S. and Iran have already attacked infrastructure such as oil fields and desalination plants, with outside observers warning of potential war‑crimes exposure on both sides.
1:15 PM
Trump’s f-bomb Easter message to Iran: Open the strait or ‘you’ll be living in Hell’
New information:
- Confirms the precise wording and tone of Trump’s threat, including the phrase: “Open the F—-n’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!”
- Specifies that Trump wrote: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” explicitly naming Tuesday as the target date for potential strikes.
- Notes that Trump appended “Praise be to Allah” to the post, an unusual religious sign‑off that is drawing attention on social media.
- Adds that Trump publicly praised the rescued F‑15 crew member as a “highly respected Colonel” and described the rescue as a rarely attempted, extremely dangerous raid “deep inside the mountains of Iran,” while announcing a Monday afternoon news conference with Pentagon officials.