Trump Issues New Expletive‑Laden Social‑Media Threat to Strike Iranian Power Plants and Bridges by Tuesday as Rights Groups Condemn Civilian‑Infrastructure Targeting
President Trump posted an expletive‑laden social‑media ultimatum on Sunday threatening to strike Iranian power plants and bridges by Tuesday if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened—writing “Open the F—-n’ Strait…or you’ll be living in Hell,” warning Iran would “lose every power plant” and “won’t have any bridges standing,” appending “Praise be to Allah,” praising a rescued F‑15 crew member, and announcing a Monday Pentagon news conference. Rights groups including Amnesty International head Agnes Callamard condemned threats to civilian infrastructure as likely to harm civilians and raise possible war‑crimes issues, while observers noted the comments came amid reciprocal attacks on infrastructure and—occurring around Easter—drew sharp religious and diplomatic criticism.
📌 Key Facts
- President Trump posted an expletive‑laden social‑media message on Sunday morning saying, “Open the F*****' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!,” and explicitly naming Tuesday as a deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on Iranian power plants and bridges (he wrote “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran”).
- Trump appended the sign‑off “Praise be to Allah” to the message, an unusual religious framing that drew attention on social media.
- In a Wall Street Journal interview, Trump warned he could destroy “every power plant” in Iran and said Iran would “lose every power plant and every other plant they have in the whole country” and “won't have any power plants and they won't have any bridges standing” if the strait remained closed by Tuesday evening.
- The comments were tied to the recent rescue of a U.S. F‑15 crew member: Trump praised the rescued aviator as a “highly respected Colonel,” described the rescue as a rarely attempted, extremely dangerous raid “deep inside the mountains of Iran,” and announced a Monday afternoon news conference with Pentagon officials.
- Human‑rights groups condemned the threats: Amnesty International Secretary‑General Agnes Callamard publicly warned that destroying power infrastructure and bridges would primarily harm civilians and raised possible war‑crimes implications; reporters note that both the U.S. and Iran have already targeted infrastructure (oil fields, desalination plants), prompting outside warnings about war‑crimes exposure on both sides.
- The timing of Trump’s “living in Hell” vow overlapped with Easter observances; Axios and others highlighted the contrast with Pope Leo XIV’s call for peace, noting Catholic and broader Christian social media circulated juxtaposed clips/headlines of the Pope’s sermon and Trump’s threats, intensifying criticism from religious leaders.
- Mainstream outlets amplified the story: CBS broadcast a segment (correspondent Taurean Small) quoting the profanity‑laden line and confirming the Sunday posting and Tuesday ultimatum, while PBS and other outlets reported the threat as coming via social media rather than solely in print interviews.
📊 Relevant Data
In the US military's special operations forces, White individuals comprise 71.2% of special forces officers, while Black individuals make up 6.4%, compared to the overall US population where Whites are about 59% and Blacks are about 13%.
Special forces officer demographics and statistics in the US — Zippia
Black households in the US spend 5.1% of their income on energy, compared to the national average of 3.2%, with Latino households also facing higher burdens, paying 13-18% more per square foot for energy than White households.
Black families pay more to keep their houses warm than average, study shows — Phys.org
In 2022 and 2023, only 10 female soldiers attempted Army Special Forces assessment and selection, reflecting ongoing underrepresentation of women in elite special operations roles.
Few women are trying for elite special operations roles, new data shows — Military Times
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.'
- 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.
- 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.