Iran brands Trump ‘unstable’ and ‘delusional’ after furious threat

Iran’s culture minister has branded Donald Trump an ‘unstable, delusional figure’.

Sayed Reza Salihi-Amiri said: ‘Iranian society generally does not pay attention to his statements, as it believes he lacks personal, behavioral and verbal balance, and constantly shifts between contradictory positions.’

Trump earlier warned he would strike the regime’s power plants and bridges this Tuesday if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to marine traffic.

In an angry Truth Social post, Trump promised the Iranians would be ‘living in Hell’ if the waterway isn’t opened.

‘It seems Trump has become a phenomenon that neither Iranians nor Americans are able to fully analyze,’ said Salihi-Amiri.

He said the Strait of Hormuz is ‘open to the world but closed to Iran’s enemies.’

Images have emerged from Tehran of a huge banner on the side of a building depicting Iranian soldiers carrying a netted bag filled with US military vehicles.

Written above the image are the chilling words: ‘The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed; the entire Persian Gulf is our hunting ground’.

It comes after Trump ramped up pressure on Iran, warning that Hell will rain down on them if a deal is not reached regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Drone footage shows search-and-rescue efforts of teams at scene, looking for survivors after a residential building was hit by an Iranian missile in Israel’s northern city of Haifa on Sunday.

Israeli paramedics said they treated nine patients, including an elderly man in a serious condition who was injured by a heavy object, and other casualties in mild condition with shrapnel and blast injuries.

Additional medics were providing treatment to four people suffering from anxiety.

Oman has said it has spoken with Iran about the options for ‘ensuring the smooth flow of transit’ through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Middle Eastern nation, which has acted as a mediator for Iran and the US in the past, said ‘experts presented a number of visions and proposals’ at the meeting.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates said it is ready to ‘join any American-led effort’ to ‘secure navigation’ in the strait, according to presidential adviser Anwar Gargash.

Hunkered down in a mountain-top ravine, armed only with a pistol, and with gun-toting tribesmen bearing down on him, the US Airforce colonel probably had slim hopes for his survival.

However, after what is being called the ‘most daring’ Special Forces rescue operation in US history, he is now safely out of Iran.

It took hundreds of Special Forces commandos, a CIA drone operation, and some lateral thinking to avert last-minute disaster.

Step-by-step, this is how the rescue operation unfolded.

• Read more below:

Donald Trump said that Iran ‘got lucky’ by downing the US F-15 jet using a shoulder-fired missile.

‘We rescued the pilot [on Friday] quickly, in daylight,’ Trump told Israeli broadcaster Channel 12.

‘That’s something that isn’t generally done. We are better at night operations. There was a lot of shooting in the first rescue operation.’

He added: ‘Other countries would not have endangered 200 soldiers and 10 aircraft for one soldier. But we did it.’

Another US official told the channel: ‘The two crew members were spread apart by a couple miles. Hundreds of IRGC soldiers were everywhere.’

Iranian parliament’s speaker has warned Donald Trump his ‘reckless moves are dragging the United States into a living HELL for every single family’.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf added: ‘Make no mistake: You won’t gain anything through war crimes.’

Ghalibaf accused Mr Trump of following orders from Benjamin Netanyahu, and claimed ‘the only real solution is respecting the rights of the Iranian people and ending this dangerous game’.

A top Iranian official has threatened to shut the Bab-el-Mandeb strait as the global economy continues to reel from the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Ali Akbar Velayati, the regime’s former foreign minister and adviser to the supreme leader said the ‘resistance front’ could target the strait off the Red Sea.

Around 12 per cent of the world’s trade passes daily through Bab-el-Mandeb, which separates the Horn of Africa from the Arabian Peninsula.

Akbar Velayati said: ‘If the White House thinks of repeating its stupid mistakes, it will quickly realize that the flow of global energy and trade can be disrupted with a single signal.

Iran leads the so-called ‘Axis of Resistance,’ which includes armed groups in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, where Houthi rebels had in the past cut off transit through Bab el-Mandeb with attacks on vessels.

Iran has effectively stopped cargo traffic through the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict, leading to higher oil and gas prices globally.

Donald Trump has posted a cryptic message on Truth Social, simply writing: ‘Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!’

The US President earlier said Iran had a deadline of Monday to make a deal.

He wrote on Saturday morning: ‘Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them.

It is not yet clear what Mr Trump means by referring to 8pm Eastern Time, which is 3:30am on Wednsday in Tehran, but he warned Iran they would be ‘living in Hell’ by Tuesday if they don’t make a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The US Central Command has confirmed the rescue of two US troops following the downing of a fighter jet.

In a statement it said: ‘On April 4, US forces successfully completed the rescues of two American service members from Iran after their F-15E fighter jet was shot down April 2 during a combat mission.

‘The service members were safely recovered during separate search and rescue missions.

‘US strikes into Iran continue as US Central Command forces dismantle the Iranian regime’s ability to project power beyond its borders.’

Iranian state TV has claimed Ahvaz Shahid Soleimani airport has been hit by US-Israeli strikes.

The international airport, now officially known as Qasem Soleimani International Airport, named after the late Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps chief, was struck on Sunday although no casualties have been reported.

Also on Sunday, the United Arab Emirates’ Sharjah government said that Khor Fakkan port was targeted and that no casualties were reported .

Earlier, UKMTO said that a captain had witnessed multiple splashes from unknown projectiles near his vessel while conducting loading operations at the same port.