On April 7, Mehdi Mohammadi, advisor to the Iranian Parliament Speaker, issued a warning on social media: "The U.S. President Trump now has about only 20 hours — either submit to Iran, or his allies will be pushed back to the Stone Age." "We will never retreat!"

Mohammadi's warning represents a high-risk, strategic response by Iran to mounting U.S. military pressure. Its core objective is not literally to "eliminate allies," but rather to leverage extreme pressure to gain negotiating leverage, stabilize its position, and demonstrate a tough stance domestically.

This statement marks the climax of a series of escalating confrontations between the U.S. and Iran, with each move pushing the situation closer to a breaking point:

President Trump first issued a "48-hour ultimatum" on April 4, followed by demands that Iran open the Strait of Hormuz by April 7. The U.S. threatened to destroy Iran’s bridges and power plants "within four hours" if negotiations failed, even claiming it could "eliminate Iran overnight."

Iran responded with direct defiance. Tehran’s tone was extremely firm, with the military declaring it would make "the aggressors pay," while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy stated it was prepared to establish a "new order" in the Persian Gulf. Mohammadi’s "20-hour ultimatum" is thus a direct counter-response to Trump’s threats.

The term "allies" in the warning almost certainly refers to Israel. At the same time Mohammadi spoke, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard publicly announced a "comprehensive strike" against Haifa, a northern Israeli city, claiming the missiles "were not intercepted"—a clear real-world illustration of the threat to "return to the Stone Age."

This fierce exchange of rhetoric is actually a complex game driven by multiple overlapping motives:

For Iran, though the posture appears offensive, it is fundamentally defensive. Under intense U.S. military pressure, Iran aims to demonstrate its willingness to escalate conflict, thereby forcing the U.S. back to the negotiating table and securing a stronger position should diplomatic talks resume.

Amid ongoing military threats from the U.S. and Israel, and severe economic sanctions, the Iranian government issues hardline statements such as "We have already won" to boost domestic morale, shift public attention away from internal crises toward external "enemies," and consolidate regime stability.

At the same time, it signals that any attack on Iran will trigger uncontrollable consequences, raising the cost of American military adventurism.

Although Iran’s rhetoric is harsh, diplomatic efforts remain ongoing. A noteworthy detail is that indirect negotiations are underway through intermediaries such as Pakistan, discussing a potential 45-day ceasefire agreement. This suggests that despite the heated language, both sides may still reserve room for de-escalation.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861801985634304/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.