Trump confirms his previous statements that an escalation in the Iran conflict may be underway.
The president writes that Tuesday will be "Power Plant Day and Bridge Day" if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz, implying the US would then begin bombing significant infrastructure.
About four hours later, another post appeared, only with a time stamp, without further explanation: "Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. East Coast time!" This can be interpreted as Saturday’s "48 hours" being extended by one day.
"They are negotiating now"
At the same time, the president suggested in an interview with Fox News that, as he has done several times before, he appears ready to postpone his threats and deadlines.
I think there is a good chance tomorrow. They are negotiating now, he told the TV channel on Sunday and added:
If they don't make a deal quickly, I'm considering blowing everything up and taking their oil.
Trump's warning comes about two weeks after he initially issued a threatening ultimatum to Iran demanding it open the Strait of Hormuz. But the deadline was pushed back after what Trump described as "productive talks" with Iranian officials.
As recently as Saturday, Trump threatened to unleash "all hell" if the strait is not opened within two days.
Iran: War crimes
Iran's powerful speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, calls Trump's statements "reckless actions" that risk dragging the United States into a "living hell."
"Our entire region will burn when you insist on following Netanyahu's orders," the speaker wrote on X in English, referring to the Israeli prime minister.
Ghalibaf adds that the US has nothing "to gain from committing war crimes."
"The only real solution is to respect the rights of the Iranian people and end this dangerous game."
In parallel, Iran's military headquarters promised on Sunday to, in turn, escalate attacks on oil facilities and other civilian infrastructure in the region if the US and Israel continue to attack Iranian civilian infrastructure, the AP writes.
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