<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump reiterated his ultimatum for Iran to agree to a ceasefire deal or face a major military escalation, as both sides kept up attacks in the sixth week of the war.<\/p>\n
\u201cA whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don\u2019t want that to happen, but it probably will,\u201d Trump said in a social-media post on Tuesday. \u201cMaybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
His comments came as the US and Israel maintained their bombardment of Iran \u2014 including strikes on the oil-export hub of Kharg Island \u2014 while the Islamic Republic fired missiles across the Persian Gulf. Trump has threatened to destroy Iranian power plants, bridges and other infrastructure if there\u2019s no deal by 8 p.m. Eastern Time.<\/p>\n
Speaking in Budapest, Vice President JD Vance said he\u2019s confident Iran will issue a response by then.<\/p>\n
The United Nations has warned that indiscriminate targeting of civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime. Trump said he\u2019s \u201cnot at all\u201d concerned about that potential outcome.<\/p>\n
The US leader\u2019s latest ultimatum marks a critical juncture in the war that has killed more than 5,200 people, most of them in Iran and Lebanon, and seen energy facilities struck across the region. The president began issuing deadlines on March 21 to force Iran to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz and has repeatedly extended the timeline, but said Monday it\u2019s \u201chighly unlikely\u201d he\u2019ll do so again.<\/p>\n
Freedom of navigation through Hormuz must be part of any deal, Trump said.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s semi-official Mehr news agency said explosions were heard on Kharg Island, the country\u2019s main oil-export hub. Fox News said the US targeted bunkers, a radar station and ammunition storage there, alongside an unintentional hit on the island\u2019s landing docks. Two people were killed in a US-Israel attack on a railway bridge near the Iranian city of Kashan on Tuesday, state-run Nour News reported.<\/p>\n
Israel is preparing for the possibility that fighting could continue for several more weeks, and on Tuesday told Iranians not to use their country\u2019s railway network until 9 p.m. local time \u2014 the type of warning it sometimes issues before attacks on civilian areas.<\/p>\n
Oil pared gains as investors wavered ahead of the Trump deadline, with the risk of further escalation offsetting tentative ceasefire signals. Brent was slightly higher at $110 a barrel in London.<\/p>\n
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Trump said on Monday talks with Iran are \u201cgoing well\u201d and that reopening the strait is \u201ca very big priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to have a deal that\u2019s acceptable to me, and part of that deal is going to be we want free traffic of oil and everything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The US military could destroy \u201cevery bridge in Iran,\u201d he added. Power plants would be rendered \u201cburning, exploding and never to be used again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Iran has warned it would respond to that type of escalation by ramping up its own attacks on energy infrastructure in the Gulf \u2014 a move that could heighten the global fuel squeeze and amplify damage to the world economy.<\/p>\n
The Islamic Republic launched seven ballistic missiles and several more drones at Saudi Arabia overnight into Tuesday, and debris from interceptions fell in the vicinity of some energy sites, the kingdom said. A key bridge connecting Bahrain and Saudi Arabia was briefly closed as a precaution.<\/p>\n
The Israel Defense Forces reported three missile volleys from Iran since midnight, targeting multiple sites in Tel Aviv and nearby towns.<\/p>\n
Israel approved further Iran missions for the coming three weeks if necessary, an IDF spokesperson said. The country is also fighting a parallel war in Lebanon against Tehran-backed Hezbollah, and struck targets in Beirut on Monday.<\/p>\n
Singapore\u2019s top diplomat warned the economic fallout from the conflict could worsen, and investors have yet to adjust. \u201cI\u2019m quite sure the markets are not fully pricing the worst-case scenario,\u201d Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told Bloomberg Television at an Investment Management Association of Singapore conference.<\/p>\n
Trump has struggled to find an off-ramp to a conflict that\u2019s become increasingly unpopular with Americans, with average gasoline prices above $4 a gallon. He said Vice President JD Vance is involved in ceasefire negotiations along with special envoy Steve Witkoff, though Tehran on Monday rejected a ceasefire proposal.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI can tell you that we have an active, willing participant on the other side,\u201d Trump said. \u201cThey\u2019re negotiating, we think in good faith \u2014 we\u2019re going to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iran has called for a permanent end to the war, reconstruction efforts and the lifting of sanctions, in addition to protocols for ensuring safe passage through Hormuz, according to Iran\u2019s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s offensive against the US and Israel wouldn\u2019t be affected by Trump\u2019s threats, the agency reported, citing a spokesman for the nation\u2019s joint military command.<\/p>\n
Iran has said it would only allow strait operations to resume when it is compensated for damage from the war.<\/p>\n
The Islamic Republic has brought traffic via Hormuz \u2014 through which a fifth of global oil and liquified natural gas exports typically flow, \u2014 to a near standstill.<\/p>\n
Two tankers loaded with Qatari LNG appeared to be making an exit from the Persian Gulf on Monday, only to U-turn within hours. They were denied clearance by Iranian officials, according to traders involved in the transit, who requested anonymity as they aren\u2019t authorized to speak with media.<\/p>\n
Tehran is allowing a trickle of vessels to sail through the waterway, which it also uses for its own oil exports.<\/p>\n
Trump lamented that he would like to take Iran\u2019s oil for the US but that the American public wants to wind down the conflict.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a businessman first,\u201d Trump said when asked about the trade-off between seizing the oil supplies and public opinion. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve said, why don\u2019t we use it \u2014 to the victor go the spoils? And we don\u2019t have that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 Bloomberg<\/p>\n
#Trump #reiterates #threat #destroy #Iran #deadline #nears<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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