Trump’s timeline for attacking Iran’s critical infrastructure keeps shifting
President Donald Trump conducts a news conference in the White House briefing room about the war in Iran on Monday, April 6, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump has set several deadlines for launching massive attacks on critical Iranian infrastructure if Tehran doesn’t make a peace deal includes reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz since U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran began in February.
Here is a timeline of Trump’s deadlines so far:
March 2
Two days after the U.S. and Israel began attacking Iran, Trump told reporters at the White House, “We projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that.”
March 21
Trump gave a 48-hour ultimatum in a social media post calling on Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, which is a trading route off the country’s southern coast that facilitates the transport of a huge amount of the world’s petroleum supply.
“the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!” he wrote.
March 23
Trump posted another message on social media, in all caps, announcing a five-day extension “SUBJECT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS.”
March 26
Trump said in a social media post that he was “pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M. Eastern Time.”
“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well,” he wrote.
The president later said he was inclined to provide a 10-day extension because Iran had allowed some oil-carrying ships to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian officials did not comment publicly on the president’s threat. The next day, an Iranian missile struck Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
April 4
The president went on social media around 10 a.m., claiming “time was running out.”
“48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them,” he wrote.
April 5
Trump made several statements to the press and on social media on Easter Sunday that the U.S. was setting a deadline of Tuesday, April 7 at 8 p.m. ET, which would be Wednesday, April 8, at 3:30 a.m. in Tehran.
He also posted profanity laden statement on the holiest day in the Christian calendar on social media, demanding that Iran open the strait or “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran.”
Trump told ABC News’ Rachel Scott that, if there was no deal in the next 48 hours, “We’re blowing up the whole country.”
April 6
The president held a news conference where he repeatedly made his threats against Iran’s leadership if they don’t come to an agreement with the U.S.
“The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” he said.
April 7
The president made another threat on social media, indicating he could attack Iran in the night.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never be brought back again. I don’t want it to happen, but it probably will,” he wrote.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on March 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — A Democratic senator says Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem provided false testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In her appearance before the committee on Tuesday, Noem was asked by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., whether her adviser Corey Lewandowski, who is serving as a special government employee, has any role in approving DHS contracts, and she said no.
“Evidence suggests that your testimony was false. Internal DHS records show that Mr. Lewandowski has personally approved contracts at DHS, including, but not limited to, a multimillion-dollar contract,” according to a letter Blumenthal sent to Noem on Wednesday. “And current and former DHS employees have stated that Mr. Lewandowski’s signature is a green light for money to be transmitted to contractors.”
Blumenthal sent the letter on Wednesday night, after Noem’s testimony in front the House Committee.
In a follow-up appearance before a House committee on Wednesday, Rep. Jared Moskowitz asked Noem if she would like to correct her answer from Tuesday.
“What I would say is that he is an adviser to the Department of Homeland Security,” she said.
Sources have told ABC News that Lewandowski is Noem’s de facto chief of staff, despite having a 130-day cap on being able to work at the department, due to his status as a special government employee.
According to multiple sources, Lewandowski and Noem both approve contracts and “nothing” gets to the secretary without Lewandowski’s approval.
Oftentimes, Lewandowski travels with the secretary to her public events, and on multiple occasions ABC News has seen Lewandowski behind the scenes at events the secretary is speaking at.
When asked by two Democratic representatives if the two were romantically linked, Noem did not deny it and instead called the two Democratic members’ line of questioning “garbage.”
Lewandowski and Noem have both previously denied any romantic relationship. Both are married to other people.
The department didn’t immediately respond to the letter, or about Lewandowski’s role at DHS.
Roger Penske, chairman and chief executive officer of Penske Corp., second left, speaks during an executive order signing with US President Donald Trump, second right, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Trump signed an executive order intended to launch an IndyCar race on the streets of Washington as part of a series of America250 celebrations. (Photographer: Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday to hold an IndyCar street race in Washington this summer, as part of his “America 250” push to commemorate the nation’s birthday.
Trump, joined in the Oval Office by auto racing legend Roger Penske, announced the Freedom 250 Grand Prix will be held Aug. 21 through Aug. 23.
“We’re celebrating greatness with American motor racing,” Trump said.
“And I said, pick our best site. It’s very important. Pick the best site. Don’t go for second or third because there are a lot of different routes. I said pick, even if it’s more difficult to get approved, pick the absolute best site,” the president continued.
The U.S. Department of the Interior and Transportation Department will be officially charged with designing a race route along the National Mall, home to iconic monuments, the U.S. Capitol and the White House. The race is free and open to the public and will be broadcast live on FOX, according to the Transportation Department.
“To think, 190 miles an hour down Pennsylvania Avenue, this is going to be wild,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
But in order to hold the race, Trump could need congressional approval due to a ban on advertising on Capitol grounds.
Last week, during an interview with the New York Post, Trump said that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was opposed to his racing plans.
“We can’t get Schumer. Schumer is making it very difficult,” Trump told The Post. “What’s wrong with him? Everybody wants to. Schumer doesn’t because he doesn’t want to see advertising near the Capitol,” the president added. “The cars have ads. If you didn’t, they wouldn’t look as good, right? That’s the only reason.”
ABC News has asked Schumer’s office for a response to Trump’s order on Friday and whether he’d work to block the race from occurring.
Still, Trump and Penske touted the upcoming festivities.
“We’re excited. The areas for people to see most of the grounds will be free. So, it’s going to be an economic benefit to the area, to the city,” Penske said. “So, thank you, Mr. President, for allowing us to come into your city.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, told ABC affiliate WJLA she was “thrilled” to welcome the racing event.
“Soon-to-be the home of every major sports franchise, Washington, D.C. is the undisputed Sports Capital,” Bowser said. “But we don’t stop there and work to attract major events. That’s why I am thrilled to welcome the Freedom 250 to the Nation’s Capital this August. The race weekend will rev up the economic engine of DC by filling our hotels and restaurants and by showing visitors, residents and the sports world that there’s no better city, people and backdrop for major sports events. I invite all sports fans to come enjoy the Freedom 250 and all that Washington, DC has to offer.”
In the Oval Office executive order signing, Bud Denker, the president of the Penske Corporation, extended thanks to Bowser.
“She has been a great partner in this process as well too,” Denker said.
President Trump’s announced a number of events to mark the nation’s 250th birthday, including a UFC fight on the South Lawn and the construction of a “Triumphal Arch.”
In this Feb. 10, 2026, file photo, Sen. Chris Murphy speaks to reporters as he returns to his office at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, FILE)
(WASHINGTON) — Despite President Donald Trump saying that the United States and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, congressional Democrats are pushing forward to hold the president accountable.
“The president has promised to commit war crimes. He’s promised to eradicate an entire civilization we have never ever seen that in the history of this country. That’s why I and many other people have been talking for the last 24 hours about the 25th amendment,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said on CNN Tuesday of the potential vehicle for removing the president from office.
Murphy said Trump has “lost touch with reality” — mentioning the president’s Tuesday morning social media post in which he threatened that a “whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”
However, hours before an 8 p.m. ET self-imposed deadline for Iran to make a deal to fully reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz or face broad strikes on its critical infrastructure, Trump said he had agreed to suspend planned bombing for two weeks if Iran agreed to reopen the strait.
“We just can’t accept a president who is literally promising to destroy an entire civilization, to murder hundreds of thousands of innocent human beings. That alone should be grounds for the removal of this President,” said Murphy, who was one of several lawmakers who mentioned the 25th Amendment after Trump’s latest threats.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Senate Democrats will once again force a vote on an Iran war powers resolution when they return from recess next week. The resolution would call on the president to terminate the use of U.S. armed forces in hostilities against Iran or any part of the Iranian government or military unless a declaration of war or authorization to use military force is enacted.
“Republicans will once again have the opportunity to join Democrats and end this reckless war of choice. The public must demand that Republicans join with us to approve a war powers act,” Schumer said at a New York press conference.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House’s top Democrat, said that “as soon as it becomes available to us to do so,” Democrats will present a war powers resolution on the House floor.
“A two-week ceasefire is insufficient. We need a permanent end to Donald Trump’s reckless war of choice, which is why House Democrats have demanded that Speaker Mike Johnson immediately reconvene the House back into session so we can move a War Powers Resolution that will end this conflict permanently,” Jeffries said on CNN Tuesday night.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson have not yet commented on the matter.
In a statement on Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar said he would support the House’s war powers resolution when it comes up for a vote – a change after Cueller was one of four Democrats who voted against it last month.
Cueller, in a post on X, said the war powers resolution is “a reaffirmation of Congress’ constitutional role and our shared responsibility to the American people.”
The Senate and the House have both failed several times to advance war powers resolutions.
Republican Sen. John Curtis said last week that he won’t support military operations in Iran beyond the 60-day window without congressional approval. He had previously voted with Republicans, aside from Sen. Rand Paul, to block the Iran war powers resolution from advancing, arguing Trump was within his legal authority to act.
In an April 1 op-ed for Deseret News, Curtis wrote that 60 days is a “sufficient window” for Trump to take emergency measures to combat the threat Iran poses, but that a declaration of war should be authorized by Congress for operations to continue.
There are no indications that other Republicans would change their votes on the war power resolution.
Democratic Rep. John Larson on Tuesday filed articles of impeachment to remove Trump from office – however, without Republican support, his effort is not likely to move forward and serves more as a signal of Democratic aspirations if they win back the majority in the midterm elections this fall.
A number of Senate Democrats have continued their calls for Congress to return early from their recess to “vote to end this war.”
Democratic Sen. Andy Kim posted a video on Tuesday night from inside a train he was taking back to Washington — imploring his fellow members of Congress to return as well.
“We need to have answers immediately for the American people. What Trump said earlier is unacceptable, it’s dangerous, it is absolutely unhinged and we should all be concerned about him helming this war, this illegal unconstitutional war. We need Congress back in session immediately,” Kim said in the video. “I call on all my colleagues to get back so we can have a vote to end this war and stop this insanity before it goes any further.”
Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell echoed calls for congressional action.
“A return to diplomatic regional discussions will save lives and dollars and protect America’s long-term interests, while President Trump’s irresponsible words and actions undermine them Congress must impose constraints on this President’s wrongheaded use of force,” Cantwell said in a post on X.
For some Republicans, Trump’s announcement on the ceasefire seemed to be met with cautious optimism.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a top Trump ally, said he is hopeful the “reign of terror” can be ended through diplomacy but that he is “extremely cautious regarding what is fact vs fiction.”
“As I stated before, I prefer diplomacy if it leads to the right outcome regarding the Iranian terrorist regime. I appreciate the hard work of all involved in trying to find a diplomatic solution,” Graham posted on X. “At this early stage, I am extremely cautious regarding what is fact vs. fiction or misrepresentation. That’s why a congressional review process like the one the Senate followed to test the Obama Iranian deal is a sound way forward. Fair and challenging questions with a full opportunity to explain, and a healthy dose of sunlight is generally the right formula to understand any matter. Simply put, kick the tires.”
ABC News’ John Parkinson and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.
