Tensions between the United States and Iran have sharply escalated, with both sides exchanging strong warnings and setting hard deadlines, raising concerns about a possible wider conflict in the region.

An adviser to Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has issued a blunt message to Donald Trump, claiming the US leader has “about 20 hours to either surrender to Iran or his allies will return to the Stone Age. We will not back down!”

Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior aide and national security analyst, struck a defiant tone in a post on X, declaring, “We will not back down!”

Mohammadi also claimed that Iran holds the upper hand, stating, “Iran has clearly and overtly won the war and will only accept an ending that consolidates its gains and creates a new security regime in the region.”

Trump’s deadline on Strait of Hormuz

The remarks come after Trump set a firm deadline, 8 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, for Iran to reopen the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route.

The US President has warned that failure to comply could trigger an expanded military response. He also claimed that American intelligence had intercepted messages suggesting some Iranians were encouraging continued strikes, saying, “Please keep bombing, do it.”

Trump added that the US could target major infrastructure, warning of the “complete demolition” of Iran’s power plants, bridges, and other key facilities if the situation escalates further.

Iranian military officials have pushed back strongly, dismissing Washington’s warnings as ineffective.

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, speaking for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, described Trump’s statements as “baseless” and said such language would not impact ongoing operations.

According to him, “rude rhetoric” would not stop Iranian actions targeting US and Israeli interests.

A separate military spokesperson reinforced that stance, rejecting what was described as the US president’s “arrogant rhetoric.”

The statement added that “the rude, arrogant rhetoric and baseless threats of the delusional US president... have no effect on the continuation of the offensive and crushing operations.”

Another official statement went even further, calling Trump’s warnings “delusional” and saying they could not make up for what it described as US “disgrace and humiliation” in the region.