Donald Trump’s new threat could be the endgame for Iran?
Another senior administration official told the US-based news agency that Trump would likely delay the attacks if he saw that a deal could be reached. “But he and he alone makes that decision.”
Trump faces a key decision on a tight timeline: follow through on his threat to strike Iran’s infrastructure starting at 8 p.m. or extend the deadline to allow more time for negotiations.
ALSO READ: The source said that Iran stopped two Qatar LNG tankers, which had previously received permission to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
In his latest warning, the US president expanded potential targets to include power plants and bridges as his ultimatum approaches. The move came after Tehran rejected a proposal for a 45-day ceasefire and instead insisted on a permanent end to the war.
“The whole country could be taken out in one night, and that night could be tomorrow night,” Trump said. He suggested that the 8pm EDT deadline on Tuesday was final, saying he had already given Iran enough extensions.
ALSO READ: According to an Axios report citing a US source, Qatar’s LNG tankers are idle in Asia as its export facility remains closed. He may be the most hawkish at the highest levels of the Trump administration on Iran.
Hiccup of Hormuz and increasing pressure
The US has told Iran to open the vital Strait of Hormuz to all ship traffic or see its power plants and bridges destroyed, prompting warnings of possible war crimes. Israel stepped up the pressure by attacking a major petrochemical facility and killing the intelligence chief of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said Tehran rejected the demand and forwarded its own 10-point facility to end the war through Pakistan, a key mediator.
“We accept the end of the war only with the guarantee that we will not be attacked again,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of Iran’s diplomatic mission in Cairo, told The Associated Press. He said Iran no longer trusts the Trump administration after the United States bombed the Islamic Republic twice in previous rounds of negotiations.
A regional official who participated in the talks said the efforts had not failed. “We are still talking to both sides,” he told Reuters, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door diplomacy.
Even Trump said negotiations with Iran were ongoing.
Trump: Iranians are ready to suffer for freedom
Trump had previously given an ultimatum to Iran, but was looking for ways to back down. But this time he was more open about his follow-up plans.
“All bridges in Iran will be destroyed at 12 o’clock tomorrow night” and all power plants “will burn, explode and never be used again,” he said.
Asked if he was worried about war crime charges, Trump said, “No, I’m not worried at all.” He suggested that the Iranians want the United States to follow through on its threats because this could lead to the end of their current leadership.
He said Iranian citizens were “ready to suffer to have freedom.” However, there were no signs of uprising in Iran as the population was protected from bombardment.
International warnings against expanding the strikes have piled up. United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric later told reporters: “Any attack on civilian infrastructure is a violation of international law, and this is a very clear violation.”
A rare statement from Iran
Israel struck a key petrochemical facility in the South Pars natural gas field, saying it aimed to eliminate an important source of Iranian revenue. The world’s largest field is shared with Qatar and is the largest domestic energy source for Iran’s 93 million population.
The attack appeared to be different from Trump’s threats. Israel’s earlier attack in March had led Iran to target energy infrastructure in other Middle Eastern countries; This was a huge increase.
Israel also killed Major General Majid Khademi, the intelligence chief of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, according to Iranian state media. Israel announced that it killed Asghar Baqeri, the leader of the Revolutionary Guard’s secret unit in the Quds Force.
“We will continue to hunt them down one by one,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said of senior Iranian officials.
New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who is still not seen or heard from the public, issued a rare statement expressing his condolences for Khademi. Israeli strikes have killed dozens of senior Iranian leaders, including Khamenei’s father.
The Israeli military also said it hit three airports in Tehran – Behram, Mehrabad and Azmayesh – during the night and hit dozens of helicopters and planes that it said belonged to the Iranian Air Force.
A Tehran resident said on condition of anonymity for his safety that “continuous sounds of bombs, air defenses and drones were heard.” Another person stated that he took sleeping pills to survive the night bombardments and that people were worried about electricity, gas and water outages.
