Middle East War Day 38: Trump Threatens Destruction, Iran Vows Continued Fight – Latest Developments at a Glance

Iran dismissed Trump's threat as 'baseless' and vowed to continue fighting.

Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war, compiled by Agence France-Presse and CNN.

In the United States, President Donald Trump stated at a press conference that if Iran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8 PM ET on the 7th (8 AM Taipei time on the 8th) as per his ultimatum, 'the entire nation of Iran could be destroyed overnight, and that night could be tomorrow.'

He said, 'All Iranian power plants will cease operation... and can never be reactivated,' and threatened similar action against the country's bridges. He emphasized that US forces would complete 'total destruction' by midnight ET, and the entire process would take only 4 hours.

Trump stated that the US had reviewed a proposal for a 45-day ceasefire with Iran, calling it 'a very important step' in the conflict, but 'not good enough.'

In Israel, the Israeli military launched strikes on three airports in Tehran, targeting multiple Iranian aircraft and helicopters. This airstrike was part of an operation to 'weaken the Iranian Air Force and the IRGC Air Force.'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel had destroyed Iran's largest petrochemical complex, which processes output from the world's largest natural gas field, South Pars.

After the death of IRGC intelligence chief Majid Khademi in an Israeli airstrike, the IRGC vowed to 'launch major retaliatory actions.'

Regarding Trump's remarks about destroying Iran, Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for Iran's Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, dismissed them as 'baseless' and warned that Iran would retaliate more strongly if attacks on non-civilian targets recurred.

Regarding the 45-day ceasefire proposal for the Middle East war put forward by mediators, Iranian state media reported that the proposal contained 10 undisclosed items, but Tehran had rejected the ceasefire agreement, insisting on a permanent end to the conflict rather than a temporary truce.

Following the Israeli attack on Iran's South Pars gas field, local officials reported that a petrochemical park near Shiraz was also attacked.

Wall Street stocks closed higher today, influenced by market hopes for a Middle East ceasefire; most markets in Asia and Europe were closed due to Easter Monday coinciding with China's Qingming Festival.

London Brent crude for June delivery rose 0.7% to $109.77 per barrel, and New York Mercantile Exchange West Texas Intermediate crude for May delivery rose 0.8% to $112.41 per barrel.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense spokesperson stated that Saudi air defense forces intercepted and destroyed seven ballistic missiles launched eastward, with debris falling near power facilities.

When asked if striking civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime, Trump replied that he 'wasn't worried,' adding that a 'nuclear' Iran would be worse. Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), without naming any country or leader, warned that 'deliberate threats against critical civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities must never become the new normal of war.'

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stated that the most recent attack was only 75 meters from the wall of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, and attacks near the plant 'pose a substantial threat to nuclear safety and must stop immediately.'

AFP reporters stated that two explosions were heard near Erbil airport in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq. Hours earlier, a security source told AFP that air defense systems intercepted four missiles fired towards the US consulate in Erbil. (Compiled by Tsai Chia-min) 1150407