US President Donald Trump on Monday said the United States was in “serious discussions” with what he described as a “more reasonable regime” in Iran to end its military operations, while warning that if a deal is not reached soon and the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened, Washington could launch sweeping strikes on Iran’s critical infrastructure.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said “great progress” had been made, and a deal was likely, but cautioned that if an agreement is not reached soon and the strategic waterway is not “immediately ‘open for business’,” the US would respond by “completely obliterating” Iran’s electric generating plants, oil wells and Kharg Island.
He added that desalination plants supplying clean water could also be targeted, noting these facilities had “purposefully not yet [been] touched.” Trump said such action would be in “retribution” for US personnel he claimed were killed by Iran during what he described as the previous regime’s 47-year “reign of terror.”
Trump had said last week that the US would pause attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure for 10 days -- a window that runs until April 6.
While Trump said negotiations were progressing “extremely well” and described contacts as both “direct and indirect,” Iran has denied holding any direct talks with Washington.
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf dismissed proposed diplomatic efforts, including those reportedly being facilitated by Pakistan, as a cover for a US troop build-up in the region, prompting a defiant response from Tehran.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said talks could be held in the coming days, though it remains unclear whether they would be direct or indirect.
Trump also signalled that military escalation remains an option, suggesting that any move to seize strategic assets like Kharg Island could require a prolonged US presence. Iran has warned it could retaliate with broader regional escalation, including targeting Gulf states and disrupting shipping routes.
Amid signs of nascent ceasefire efforts, Trump also openly raised the possibility of seizing Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal in the Persian Gulf. “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” he said earlier in an interview with the Financial Times.
He added that Iran had agreed to allow 20 oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday as “a sign of respect”, even as around 2,500 US Marines are already in the region and a similar number are being deployed.
Meanwhile, Iran on Monday dismissed US proposals to end the conflict as “unrealistic, illogical and excessive” and launched fresh attacks across the region as the war entered its second month.
