Escalation in the US-Iran standoff: a chaotic timeline for Trump’s “final ultimatum,” Iran responds firmly and continues to block the Strait of Hormuz

As the initial “48-hour final deadline” draws near on the evening of Monday, April 6, Eastern Time, tensions between President Trump and Iran have intensified again. However, U.S. media reports on the “timeline” Trump gave for Iran show clear discrepancies, adding even more uncertainty to how events may unfold.

Trump’s remarks are inconsistent, and the timeline is chaotic

According to reports from multiple U.S. media outlets on April 6, Trump said in an interview with Fox News that an agreement with Iran could be reached “before Monday.” But two hours later, he told Axios that the deal “may be reached before Tuesday,” otherwise “everything will be destroyed.”

Then ABC News disclosed that Trump said the conflict with Iran should end “within a few days, not weeks.” And according to the latest report from The Wall Street Journal, Trump demanded that Iran must open the Strait of Hormuz before Tuesday evening, or the United States would strike Iran’s power plants. Notably, Trump did not provide any timetable for the end of the war with Iran.

Trump appears to have announced a specific final deadline

The confused timeline was further fueled after Trump himself posted on social media. In the early hours of April 6, Eastern Time, Trump wrote on the social media platform: “8:00 p.m. Tuesday, Eastern Time (08:00 a.m. Wednesday, Beijing time).” Although the post did not directly mention Iran, mainstream media—including the AXIOS website and Bloomberg—interpreted it as: Trump is extending the deadline for Iran by 24 hours.

Previously, Trump’s 48-hour final ultimatum was set to expire at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, April 6, Eastern Time (08:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 7, Beijing time). In other words, the new deadline has been pushed back by exactly one day compared with the original.

Iran’s Supreme Leader responds firmly: continue to block the Strait of Hormuz

In the face of military and diplomatic pressure from the United States, Iran has shown no signs of compromise.

On April 5 local time, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mujtaba Khamenei posted on social media emphasizing: “The will of the Iranian people is to continue carrying out effective territorial defense actions, and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz—this ‘strategic lever’—must also continue to be used.” This statement is widely viewed by the public as a positive response to Trump’s “final ultimatum.”

Outlook: the window for dialogue is shrinking, and the risk of conflict is rising

At present, the positions of the U.S. and Iran on the Strait of Hormuz issue have formed a sharp standoff. Trump is trying to pressure Iran back to the negotiating table by setting a clear timeline, but his statements before and after are inconsistent, undermining the clarity of deterrence. Iran, meanwhile, insists on keeping the blockade of the strait as its core countermeasure, signaling that it is unwilling to make concessions under pressure.

As the new deadline of 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday gradually approaches, markets and the global energy supply chain are closely watching the passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Once Iran carries out actions or the U.S. launches military strikes, global oil prices and the geopolitical security landscape will face major upheaval.

(Compiled from reports by Jin10 Data, CCTV International News, AXIOS, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, and others)
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