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US President Donald Trump has threatened to destroy Iran “overnight” if it fails to reach a deal before a deadline he has set for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane in the world.
Trump’s deadline for reaching a “deal” – which includes free oil transit through the Gulf – is set for 20:00 Washington DC time on Tuesday (00:00 GMT on Wednesday).
Speaking at the White House, Trump said he believed “wise” leaders in Iran were negotiating in “good faith”, but the outcome remained uncertain.
Iran has rejected proposals for a temporary ceasefire, instead calling for a complete cessation of hostilities and the lifting of sanctions.
Trump’s press conference with General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth came just days after US forces recovered two pilots of an F-15 fighter jet that was shot down in southern Iran.
While much of Trump’s remarks focused on what he described as the “heroic” rescue of the pilots, he reiterated his warning that the United States could launch attacks on Iran’s energy and transportation infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened by Tuesday’s deadline.
“The entire country could be destroyed overnight – and that night could be tomorrow night,” he said Monday, referring to tonight.
Once the deadline passes, Trump added, Iran will be returned to the “Stone Age”.
“They won’t have bridges,” he said. “They won’t have power plants.”
Despite Iran’s initial rejection of US demands, Trump continued to express hope that Iran was negotiating in good faith after a series of Iranian leadership members were killed in US and Israeli strikes.
“We’ll just have to find out,” he said.
Productive progress in any talks is unlikely to happen without a ceasefire first, according to a regional official familiar with the discussions.
The official – who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the talks – said that the discussions were difficult due to communication challenges from Iranian officials due to the internet shutdown.
“To get a message across to Iran, getting a timely response is impossible,” the official said. “The average response time has been about a day.”
Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt are all involved in mediation efforts.
