I'm blowing up everything: Trump to Iran if it misses Tuesday deadline

With a tense Tuesday deadline looming, President Trump threatens to strike Iranian power plants and bridges, while indirect negotiations continue. Diplomats scramble as the Gulf braces for a potential confrontation.

In Short

• US-Iran indirect talks ongoing via Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey
• Trump threatens targeting Iranian power plants and bridges
• Iran condemns Trump’s threats as dangerous and unjust

President Trump has delivered a warning unlike any other in recent US-Iran tensions: a blunt, chilling ultimatum. “There is a good chance, but if they don’t make a deal, I am blowing up everything over there,” he told Axios.

The threat comes as the US and Iran engage in indirect talks through Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey. The goals are a ceasefire and a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. But with the clock ticking towards Tuesday, optimism among mediators is cautious at best.

Ahead of his Tuesday deadline, Trump did not mince words. He warned that Iranian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges, could be targeted. “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F***kin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Such strikes, aimed at weakening the regime, carry the risk of war crimes and could provoke retaliatory attacks against Israel and Gulf states.

When asked about innocent civilians, Trump said he believes those living under fear of their government would support such measures to shake the regime.

TEHRAN STRIKES BACK

Iran did not remain silent. Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf lashed out on X, accusing Trump of dragging America into “a living HELL for every single family” and following Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s commands.

Ghalibaf urged respect for Iranian citizens and an end to what he called a “dangerous game.”

BEHIND THE SCENES: HIGH-STAKES MEDIATION

Trump revealed that envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are negotiating directly with Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, even via text messages.

While Trump claims progress, he admitted frustration when direct talks were delayed by five days, a delay that reportedly prompted his strike on a Tehran bridge.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers from Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey are scrambling to craft confidence-building measures that could extend the deadline and bring both sides closer to the negotiating table. So far, no breakthrough has been achieved.

As Tuesday looms, the world is on edge. Will diplomacy prevail, or will Trump’s fiery ultimatum turn rhetoric into action, igniting a new chapter of conflict in the Gulf?

- Ends