With just over 24 hours left on the ultimatum issued by former US President Donald Trump, tensions are rising over whether Iran will comply with demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to tanker traffic.

Trump has warned that failure to do so could trigger US strikes on Iranian power plants, marking a significant escalation in the crisis.

Hassan Ahmadian, an associate professor of West Asian Studies at the University of Tehran, described the situation as a turning point, noting that Iran’s current posture stems from pressures following recent conflict.

He said the Strait of Hormuz had remained open for global shipments until tensions intensified, adding that Iran now views control of the waterway as its most important source of leverage against the United States.

According to Ahmadian, there are no clear indications that Tehran is prepared to back down, suggesting that Iranian authorities are unlikely to capitulate under pressure.

Trump, however, appears to be relying on the threat of targeting civilian infrastructure to force a shift in Iran’s position.

But Iranian officials have already signalled a possible response, warning of wider retaliatory strikes across the region, including in Israel, if such attacks are carried out.

The standoff raises fears of a broader regional conflict, as both sides maintain hardline positions with little sign of de-escalation

US President Donald Trump shared a video on his Truth Social network Sunday of a TV comedy skit showing a terrified British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hoping to dodge a phone call with the American leader.

The skit, aired on the premiere of the new British version of Saturday Night Live — adapted from the long-running US show — shows Starmer, played by George Fouracres, panicking inside 10 Downing Street at the prospect of a call with Trump.

Starmer turns to a fake David Lammy, his deputy prime minister, and says, “What if Donald shouts at me?”

When Trump picks up the phone, Starmer immediately hangs up, asking why it is so difficult to talk to “that scary, scary, wonderful president”.

“Sir, just be honest and tell him we can’t send any more ships to the Strait of Hormuz,” Lammy says — the vital shipping lane effectively blocked by Iran since the US-Israeli attacks that started the Middle East war.

“I just want to keep him happy, Lammy. You don’t understand him like I do — I can change him,” Starmer says.

Trump did not post any comment alongside the video.

The US leader has repeatedly railed against Starmer since the start of the war, accusing him of not doing enough to support the United States.

“This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” Trump said earlier this month, after Starmer initially declined to let US warplanes use UK bases to strike Iran.

“I’m disappointed with Keir,” Trump has also said, slamming Starmer’s “big mistake”.

“I like him, I think he’s a nice man, but I’m disappointed.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to pursue senior commanders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards “personally”, during a visit to an Israeli town struck by an Iranian missile the previous day.

“We’re going after the regime. We’re going after the IRGC, this criminal gang,” Netanyahu said, as he inspected the damage in the southern town of Arad.

“We’re going after them personally, their leaders, their installations, their economic assets. We’re going after them personally.”