Donald Trump on Sunday appeared to extend by 24 hours his deadline for Iran to reach a deal reopening the Strait of Hormuz or face sweeping infrastructure strikes.
“Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, setting a new deadline of 0000 GMT Wednesday. The extension offers Iran a narrow window to ease tensions or risk US action targeting key facilities such as power plants and bridges.
The strategic waterway — a critical route for global oil and gas — has been effectively blocked since the start of the US-Israeli bombing campaign on February 28. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump underscored the stakes, warning that Iran could take decades to rebuild if strikes are carried out.
“We are in a position that’s very strong… if they don’t do something by Tuesday evening, they won’t have any power plants and they won’t have any bridges standing,” he said.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump suggested negotiations were ongoing and expressed cautious optimism about a breakthrough. “I think there is a good chance tomorrow,” he said, while reiterating that failure to reach a deal could trigger severe retaliation, including targeting Iran’s oil infrastructure.
He also claimed that Iranian negotiators had effectively conceded on nuclear weapons development, calling it “not even” a point of contention in talks.
In a separate interview with ABC News, Trump said the conflict could end “in days, not weeks,” but warned that without an agreement, few options would be off the table for Washington.
Claims on Iranian protests
Trump further alleged that the US had attempted to send weapons to anti-government protesters in Iran via Kurdish intermediaries, referring to unrest that began in December over rising living costs amid sanctions.
“We sent guns to the protesters… and I think the Kurds took the guns,” he said.
However, Qubad Talabani, deputy prime minister of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, rejected the claim, stating there had been no evidence of US efforts to arm Iranian Kurdish opposition groups operating from the region.
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