India, April 12 -- President Donald Trump unleashed an explosive laden warning to Iran on Easter Day, "Open the fucking straits, you crazy bastards, or you will be living in Hell. Praise be to Allah." He followed up the next day, stating that "A whole civilisation will die tonight," if Iran did not open the Strait of Hormuz by 8 p.m. on 7 April, Washington time (5:30 am IST on 8 April).

Even as the world held its breath, USA and Israel launched preliminary attacks on Iranian infrastructure, striking Kharg Island, and even the South Pars gas fields-the largest in the world, which supplies 20% of its natural gas. It did not seem to matter that the targets were no longer military ones, but civilian infrastructure. Schools, bridges, universi...