Trump warns Iran has 48 hours to make deal or face 'Hell', Iran vows 'devastating, continuous' retaliations

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran has 48 hours to strike a deal on opening up the Strait of Hormuz or face "Hell."

"Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "Time is running out -- 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them," Trump said.

On March 21, Trump threatened to "hit and obliterate" Iranian power plants if the country fails to fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Two days later, however, he postponed strikes on power plants for five days after holding "productive conversations" with Tehran. He later again pushed the deadline back.

Meanwhile, Israel is preparing to attack Iran's energy facilities but is still awaiting approval from the United States, a senior Israeli military official said on Saturday. The official said that if the relevant operation is approved, the attack could commence within the next week.

In response, a top Iranian commander warned that any U.S. or Israeli strike on Iran's infrastructure would be met with "devastating and continuous" attacks on all U.S. military assets in West Asia and Israeli infrastructure, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Ali Abdollahi, chief commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, issued the warning Saturday as a 10-day deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz is due to expire Monday.

"After having admitted successive defeats, the aggressive and warmongering president of the United States has, in a desperate, nervous, unbalanced and foolish move, threatened (to target) Iran's infrastructure and national assets," Abdollahi said.

He said that the Iranian armed forces would not hesitate "for a moment" to defend the country's rights and protect national assets and "will put the aggressors in their place."

Trump warns Iran has 48 hours to make deal or face 'Hell', Iran vows 'devastating, continuous' retaliations

China's commodity price index stood at 129.9 points in March, up 4 percent month on month and 14.5 percent year on year, according to data released by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) on Sunday.

Among the 50 major commodities under key monitoring by the CFLP, 38 recorded a month-on-month price increase in March.

Specifically, diesel, methanol and ethylene glycol led the gains, rising 30.5 percent, 30.4 percent and 29.3 percent, respectively, from the previous month.

Affected by imported factors such as tensions in the Middle East and a sharp rise in international crude oil prices, China's energy and chemical price indices rose significantly, up 16.5 percent and 21.8 percent month on month, respectively.

Driven by rising international fertilizer prices and growing demand for biofuels, China's agricultural product price index increased by 2.8 percent month on month.

Analysts noted that the sharp rise in the commodity price index in March comes from factors such as the recovery of the domestic commodity market, the good outcomes of policies, and the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

Given the increasingly volatile international commodity prices and the rising uncertainties in importing energy, chemicals and other commodities, it is necessary to diversify the sources of raw materials, expand the use of alternative resources, and enhance the ability to resist and respond to risky factors that may cause fluctuation in markets, said the analysts.

China's commodity price index up 4 pct in March