The Daily Populous Sunday April 5th, 2026 night edition
Authored by independent.co.uk and submitted by theindependentonline

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President Donald Trump warned that “hell will reign down” on Iran within 48 hours unless the country opens the Strait of Hormuz hours before he claimed “many” of its military leaders were “terminated.”

“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!” Trump said in a Truth Social post Saturday morning.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m. ET, the president shared a video purporting to show a “massive strike” in Tehran, though it was not immediately clear when the attack was carried out. “Many of Iran’s Military Leaders, who have led them poorly and unwisely, are terminated, along with much else, with this massive strike in Tehran!” he wrote.

Around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which is at the center of the conflict, and Iran’s tight grip over its navigation has caused chaos for import-dependent countries.

Trump’s Truth Social warning to the Iranian regime, where he appeared to confuse the use of “rain” with “reign,” comes as the search for a missing U.S. fighter pilot entered its second day after a F-15 was shot down Friday.

open image in gallery President Donald Trump threatened to ‘reign down hell’ on Iran within 48 hours unless the country opens the Strait of Hormuz ( Getty Images )

open image in gallery The president later shared a video purporting to show a ‘massive strike’ in Tehran. It was not immediately clear when the strike was carried out ( @realDonaldTrump )

In a video he posted on Saturday afternoon, a loud boom could be heard as images show an enormous fireball igniting over a hillside at nightfall.

The Independent has contacted the Pentagon, U.S. Central Command and the White House for further information.

White House director of communications, Steven Cheung, said Trump has “been working nonstop” over the Easter weekend. The president is expected to remain in Washington, D.C. all weekend, according to his schedule.

There was no official update from the Trump administration about the missing pilot as of Saturday afternoon.

In a slew of Truth Social posts Saturday morning, Trump hit out at the media and touted job figures, but he did not reference the pilot.

open image in gallery The president appeared to confuse the use of ‘rain’ with ‘reign’ in his previous Truth Social post issuing the threat against Iran ( @realDonaldTrump )

Two American warplanes were shot down in separate incidents Friday as a search and rescue mission was launched to find the F-15 crew member who was forced to eject. An A-10 attack plane was reportedly hit in the Persian Gulf region, and the pilot was rescued after making it to Kuwaiti airspace, officials said.

Trump told The Independent on Friday that he is not yet ready to say what the U.S. will do if Iranian forces get to the downed airman first. “We hope that’s not going to happen,” the president said in a brief phone call Friday.

Iran was also issuing threats Saturday as the regime claimed it had used a new air defense system to target the U.S. fighter jet.

A spokesperson ‌for the ⁠joint military command said that the country would “definitely achieve full control” over its airspace, ​according ‌to ⁠Iranian ⁠state media.

Iran is reportedly offering locals around $65,000 to anyone who hands over the missing pilot alive.

An anchor on the Iranian state media channel said: “If you capture the enemy pilot or pilots alive and hand them over to the police, you will receive a precious prize.”

open image in gallery Debris from a military strike in Tehran April 4, as the violence showed little sign of slowing ( Getty Images )

The downed F-15 is the fourth American fighter aircraft — and the sixth military plane — lost since Trump started the massive air campaign against Tehran on February 28. Three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle jets were downed by friendly fire over Kuwait in March.

The downing of the military jet occurred just two days after Trump had declared in a national address that the U.S. had “beaten and completely decimated Iran.”

Both the U.S. and Israel had recently boasted about the supposed decimation of Iran's air defenses.

The violence showed no sign of slowing Saturday. Iran’s atomic agency said an airstrike hit near its Bushehr nuclear facility, killing a security guard and damaging a support building.

An Iranian drone also damaged the Dubai headquarters of the American tech giant Oracle on Saturday after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened the firm, according to the Associated Press.

The sheikhdom’s Dubai Media Office, which speaks for its government, said a “minor incident caused by debris from an aerial interception that fell on the facade of the Oracle building in Dubai Internet City,” adding there were no injuries.

More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began six weeks ago, including 13 U.S. service members.

Careful_Context_7001 on April 4th, 2026 at 15:40 UTC »

“Rain,” you dope.

Dolphintrout on April 4th, 2026 at 14:58 UTC »

I don’t think he realizes that the country he’s negotiating with isn’t a fellow real estate developer and that they may prefer going scorched earth than to bow to the US.

Ironvos on April 4th, 2026 at 14:49 UTC »

This idiot is going to throw a nuke at some point because he isn't getting what he wants.