US President Donald Trump issued another warning to Iran on Monday, urging it to agree to a peace deal and cautioning that failure to do so could result in the US “obliterating all of its electric generating plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island”.
Trump had earlier extended the deadline for potential strikes on Iran’s energy and nuclear infrastructure to April 6, giving Tehran more time to accept his 15-point peace proposal.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump had said that ‘a deal’ with Iran could be reached soon. A day later, he posted on his Truth Social account, that the US is in serious discussions with a new, ‘more reasonable’ regime in Iran to end military operations in the country. However, he added that if a deal is not reached soon and if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened quickly, the US would destroy Iran’s electric generating plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island.
“The United States of America is in serious discussions with a new, and more reasonable regime to end our military operations in Iran. Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately “Open for Business,” we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet touched,” Trump posted.
{{/usCountry}}“The United States of America is in serious discussions with a new, and more reasonable regime to end our military operations in Iran. Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately “Open for Business,” we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet touched,” Trump posted.
{{/usCountry}}“This will be in retribution for our many soldiers and others that Iran has killed over the old regime’s 47-year ‘reign of terror,’” he added.
Meanwhile, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, on Monday, said Tehran had received messages via intermediaries indicating Washington's willingness to negotiate but denied that direct talks with the US are on.
Baghaei, criticising the US proposals, told a press conference on Monday, according to Reuters, "Our position is clear. We are under military aggression. Therefore, all our efforts and strength are focused on defending ourselves."
On Sunday, Iran speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf has pointed towards America's hypocrisy, stating that while Trump talks about peace talks, the Islamic Republic continues to receive attacks from their forces.
Ghalibaf was indicating to the media reports of the Pentagon deploying 10,000 more troops in the Middle East in coming days. On March 27, 2,500 Marines had reached the bases in West Asia, the US Central Command force had informed on X. Secretary of state Marco Rubio, when questioned on the deployment of extra forces in Middle East, said that all options need to be open for the President while adding that the war might not take ‘months’ to end but could be resolved 'within weeks'.