A high-ranking Iranian intelligence official has been killed in what is described as a joint operation by the United States and Israel, according to reports.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released a statement confirming that Major General Majid Khademi died in an attack that occurred "at dawn today", April 6. This announcement preceded official confirmations from either the US or Israel.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz subsequently stated that Khademi was "one of those directly responsible" for orchestrating attacks against Israeli citizens. Katz also identified Khademi as one of the three most senior figures within the IRGC.
Earlier on Saturday, April 4, US President Donald Trump had issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Tehran, demanding that the country "make a deal or open up the Hormuz Strait," warning that failure to comply would result in severe consequences.
Trump reinforced these warnings in a social media post on Easter Sunday, which appeared to extend the deadline by a day. He wrote, "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! "Open the F*in’ Strait, you crazy b****s, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah."
In a subsequent post several hours later, he specified the timeframe: "Tuesday, 8:00P.M. Eastern Time!"
However, Iran escalated its own warnings in response to the threats, asserting that any attacks would be met with a "much more devastating and widespread" retaliatory response.
A spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central HQ, Iran's primary military command unit, stated, "If attacks on civilian targets are repeated, the next stages of our offensive and retaliatory operations will be much more devastating and widespread."
President Trump also told Axios that he believes there is a "good chance" of reaching an agreement with Iran by the following day, with reports suggesting a potential 45-day ceasefire might be under consideration.
He reiterated, however, that he would resort to "blowing up everything over there" if a deal was not achieved.
Legal analysts have indicated that intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure, as threatened by Trump in his posts, could constitute a potential war crime.
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