Trump threatens Iran with more destruction, claims peace deal is near

The US president has vowed to destroy all of the Islamic Republic’s oil wells, power plants, and key export hub on Kharg Island

The US has been in “serious” discussions with a “new and more reasonable” Iranian government, President Donald Trump has claimed. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he also threatened to obliterate Iran’s critical energy infrastructure if no deal is “shortly reached.”

Trump claimed in his social media post on Monday that “great progress” had been made in negotiations, at the same time warning Tehran of more destruction should the Strait of Hormuz not be “immediately” reopened.

Should that not happen, the US would opt to “completely obliterate[e] all of their electric generating plants, oil wells and Kharg Island,” Trump claimed. Washington would also consider striking other critical infrastructure, including “all desalination plants,” he added.

While Trump has claimed Washington and Tehran have been meeting “directly and indirectly,” Iran has insisted contact has been ongoing only through intermediaries. According to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei, Tehran regards the proposals it has received from the US as “unrealistic, illogical and excessive,” and ultimately “highly unreasonable.” 

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“Our position is clear. We are under military aggression. Therefore, all our efforts and strength are focused on defending ourselves,” Baqaei told a ⁠press conference on Monday.

Last weekend, Trump vowed to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants, starting with “the biggest one first,” unless Tehran restored navigation in the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.

At the time, Iran threatened to retaliate by striking power-generating assets across West Asia. It also pointed out that while it has over 400 such facilities scattered across the country, more than half of Israel’s power output is generated by five major plants.

The US president called off the attack two days after the announcement, claiming that the two sides had held “very good and productive conversations” over a “complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.” Iranian officials suggested that Trump had “backed down” after Iran’s “firm warning” that it would retaliate against strikes on its power grid.