By Jack Phillips

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned on April 7 that the paramilitary group would attempt to block the United States and its allies from obtaining oil and gas from the Middle East “for years” if the U.S. military launches strikes on the country’s infrastructure ahead of a Tuesday evening deadline.

U.S. President Donald Trump has given Iran until 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday to come to an agreement to potentially end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that allows for the transportation of around a fifth of the world’s oil supply on a normal day.

So far, Iranian officials have appeared to be publicly defiant and signaled they would not comply with U.S. proposals.

“We will work with the infrastructure of the United States and its partners to deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas in the region for years,” the Revolutionary Guard said in a statement carried by state-run media, including Tasnim News, according to a translation.

It also issued a new threat to the nearby Middle Eastern states that do business with the United States, in a statement carried by other state-run media outlets on Tuesday.

“America’s regional partners should also know that until today, we have exercised great restraint for the sake of good neighborliness and have had some reservations in choosing targets for retaliation, but all these reservations have since been removed,” the Revolutionary Guard statement said.

Over the past weekend, Trump threatened to destroy all of Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran does not allow traffic to fully resume in the strait. Iran’s president said 14 million people, including himself, have volunteered to fight for the country.

Iran, meanwhile, fired on Israel and Saudi Arabia, prompting the temporary closure of a major bridge.

Trump again issued a warning on his Truth Social platform that Tehran should come to an agreement on opening the Strait of Hormuz or a “whole civilization will die tonight,” although he signaled that he is still hopeful that a deal could be made.

“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump said, adding: “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?”

The world and Iran would “find out tonight” whether Iran would comply, the president added, describing the situation as “one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World.”

The Iranian regime choked off shipping through the strait after the Israeli and U.S. militaries launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, prompting Tehran to attack civilian ships in the region. That stranglehold, coupled with Iran’s attacks on the energy infrastructure of its Gulf Arab neighbors, has sent oil prices skyrocketing, raising the price of gasoline, food, and other commodities around the world.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters during a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room, with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine listening, at the White House in Washington on April 6, 2026. Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo

On Monday, Iran rejected a cease-fire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the war. Iranian state-run media agencies said Tehran conveyed its response through Pakistan, a key mediator.

“We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Cairo, told The Associated Press on Monday.

Responding to the Iranian regime’s decision, Trump told reporters at the White House that he believes Tehran is making a mistake.

“They don’t want to cry, as the expression goes, ‘uncle,’ but they will. And if they don’t, they’ll have no bridges. They’ll have no power plants. They’ll have no anything,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.