Washington DC: Donald Trump has been hoping, wishing and claiming over the last week or so that Iran badly wants a deal that will end the one-month old war.
Iran, on the other hand, kept saying there has been no direct talks between the US, and rejected Trump’s 15-point peace proposal.
On Monday, Trump reiterated that the US was negotiating with a “more reasonable” regime in Iran to end the war, but threatened to blow up Iran’s energy infrastructure, oil wells and the Kharg Island if a deal is not reached “shortly” and if the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately reopened.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said,
“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.’ This will be in retribution for our many soldiers, and others, that Iran has butchered and killed over the old Regime’s 47-year ‘Reign of Terror’,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
Meanwhile, Iran continued its retaliatory strikes on Day 31 of the war, which started after US-Israeli strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other leaders in Tehran.
A missile barrage set a chemical plant near Beersheba, in southern Israel, on fire. At least a dozen people were reportedly injured in the attack.
In Tehran, explosions were reported in northern districts, while a missile struck the Al Araby Television office, halting live broadcasts and causing extensive damage.
Iran confirmed the death of Revolutionary Guards navy commander Alireza Tangsiri after he suffered severe injuries, Iranian media reported. Israel claimed last week it had killed Tangsiri in a “precise and lethal operation”.
