Trump blasts 'idiot from 'failing political rag' who called him a 'sucker' as he hits back to claim Iran is 'hanging by a thread'

Published: 01:29, 22 April 2026 | Updated: 01:59, 22 April 2026 President Donald Trump threatened to 'blow up the rest of Iran and its leaders' as he warned that he would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The US president announced hours earlier that he was indefinitely extending the ceasefire with Iran.  The announcement came just one day before the ceasefire was set to expire as questions remained about whether there would be a second round of peace talks.  But in an inflammatory post on his Truth Social page Tuesday night, the president denied that he would reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world's oil supply traverses.  'Iran doesn’t want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they want it open so they can make $500 Million Dollars a day (which is, therefore, what they are losing if it is closed!),' Trump wrote. 'They only say they want it closed because I have it totally BLOCKADED (CLOSED!), so they merely want to “save face,"' he argued.  'People approached me four days ago, saying, “Sir, Iran wants to open up the Strait, immediately,"' the president continued.  'But if we do that, there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included!' President Donald Trump threatened to 'blow up the rest of' Iran and 'its leaders' in a Truth Social post on Tuesday night He said he would not reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz The ultimatum came just one hour after he lambasted a Wall Street Journal columnist for penning an op-ed entitled 'The Iranians Take Trump for a Sucker.' 'An IDIOT on The Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board, named Elliot Kaufman, just wrote an Op Ed entitled, “The Iranians Take Trump for a Sucker.” Really?,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social page.  'For 47 years, they have killed our people, and many others, and taken advantage of every President, except me — And what did I give to them, a Country in tatters!' Trump then went on to extoll his victories in Iran, claiming that 'their entire Navy is at the bottom of the Sea, their Air Force is gone... their Nuclear Labs and Storage Areas were OBLITERATED.' He also noted that General Qasem Soleimani, whom he called an 'evil genius who destroyed the lives of so many with his favored roadside bombs,' was killed by US forces in 2020. Additionally, Trump pointed out that the Strait of Hormuz is still being blockaded by US forces, which he claimed is costing the country $500 million a day.  'Their Country is an Economic Catastrophe, that is hanging by a thread.'  The president then went on to hit out at former President Barack Obama for his nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic and claimed 'other presidents did nothing to stop them, a BLIGHT on the Office of the Presidency. 'But despite all of this, I have a MORON on the Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal writing about me being taken for a "sucker,"' he wrote. 'Iran certainly doesn't think so!' the president argued. 'Neither does anyone else.'  'I guess Rupert Murdoch told him to write it this way because The Wall Street Journal has lost its way, no longer required reading, just another failing political "RAG!," he said of the owner of the storied newspaper. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.