US President Donald Trump on Saturday vowed to rain “hell” on Iran if it fails to reach a ceasefire deal or open the Strait of Hormuz by Monday, when time runs out on an ultimatum that he has extended twice.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran’s power grid if Tehran fails to comply with US demands. On Saturday, a senior Israeli defense official said Israel was preparing to attack Iranian energy facilities, likely within the next week, but was awaiting a green light from the US.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump warn, “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. Glory be to GOD!”

Trump first threatened on March 21 to strike Iran’s power grid if it did not agree to a US ceasefire proposal within 48 hours. Hours before the deadline on March 23, he pushed it off by five days, to last Saturday, saying ceasefire talks were “going very well.”

He again delayed the deadline by 10 days to April 6, this coming Monday, claiming he was doing so “as per Iranian government request.” Iran has denied making such a request or even negotiating with the US, and mediation efforts have reportedly hit a dead end.

Responding to Trump, General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi of Iran’s central military command said the US threat was a “a helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action.”

Echoing the religious language of Trump’s social media post, he warned that “the simple meaning of this message is that the gates of hell will open for you.”

Separately on Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep striking Iran’s heavy industry, asserting the military destroyed most of Iran’s capacity to produce the missiles it fires at Israel.

“After we destroyed 70 percent of its ability to create steel, which is used as the raw material for the weapons used against us, today we attacked their petrochemical factories,” said Netanyahu in a video statement released shortly after the end of Shabbat.

“These two things are their money machine, which funds their war of terror against us and against the world,” he said. “We will continue to hit them, as I promised.”

ממשיכים לכתוש את משטר הטרור. שבוע טוב! pic.twitter.com/QTKUEcneol — Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) April 4, 2026

ממשיכים לכתוש את משטר הטרור. שבוע טוב! pic.twitter.com/QTKUEcneol

— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) April 4, 2026

The Times of Israel has learned that the IDF was ordered by the political echelon late last month to shift to hitting “economic” targets of the Iranian regime after the military had nearly completed bombing all the targets it set for itself when the war began.

Israel and the US launched a bombing campaign on Iran on February 28 in a bid to destabilize its regime and destroy its ballistic missile and nuclear programs. Iran has responded with missile and drone strikes across the region and by effectively blockading the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil shipments normally travel.

A US proposal to end the war reportedly includes demands that Iran dismantle its nuclear program, limit its ballistic missiles, halt support for terrorist proxies and relinquish control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has reportedly demanded reparations for damages inflicted in the war and guarantees that it won’t be attacked again.

Emanuel Fabian, Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.

Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the Iran war right now? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:

Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock under difficult conditions to cover this conflict;

Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and emails; and

Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.

We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.

You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.

Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.

So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.

Thank you,David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel

1 Israel planning to allow up to 90 passengers on departing flights starting Sunday

2 6 wounded as Iran cluster bombs smash homes in central Israel; IDF hits Iran infrastructure

3 Iran shoots down US jet; 1 pilot rescued, US races against Iran to find the second

4 Regional effort to broker ceasefire between US and Iran reportedly hits dead end

5 Iran said restoring bombed missile bunkers within hours after being struck

6 AnalysisCould Paramount acquisition of CNN shift coverage of Israel?

7 ExplainerHow does a fighter pilot survive being shot down in enemy territory?

8 Explosion hits Christian pro-Israel center in the Netherlands

2026 US-Israel war with Iran

© The Times of Israel