Trump’s deadline for Iran to make deal approaches as critics fear his ultimatum threatens war crimes

President Trump said Monday that God is on the side of the U.S. as Iran faces the looming zero hour on the president’s ultimatum to either make a deal to end the war or sustain even worse destruction.

The president asserted divine support for the U.S. effort at a pivotal juncture in the war, which Mr. Trump launched in late February to prevent Tehran from gaining a nuclear weapon.

Asked by a journalist whether he believes God favors the U.S. in the fight, the president replied, “I do, because God is good.”

“God wants to see people taken care of,” Mr. Trump said in a White House press conference that focused on the weekend rescue mission of two U.S. military aviators in Iran.

Mr. Trump repeated his threat to wipe out Iranian bridges and power plants late Tuesday if the Iranians do not negotiate a suitable deal that includes freedom of navigation, including oil shipments, in the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Flanked by top defense officials, Mr. Trump said Iranian civilians would accept devastating attacks on their power plants and bridges if it meant being liberated from the Islamic republic’s brutal regime.

“They would be willing to suffer that in order to have freedom,” Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump said he is ready to authorize major strikes against Iranian infrastructure to begin at 8 p.m. if Tehran does not open the Strait of Hormuz, the strategically important waterway off Iran’s coast. He predicted that the “plan” for the attacks would be carried out in four hours and would “decimate every single power plant” in Iran.

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“Do I want to destroy their infrastructure? No,” Mr. Trump said. “The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be [Tuesday] night.”

Iran has effectively closed the strait to commercial ship traffic since the start of the U.S. military campaign.

The narrow waterway is a crucial maritime corridor for moving goods, especially oil, out of the Persian Gulf. About 20% of the world’s oil flows through the strait. Its closure has driven rapid increases in fuel prices around the world.

On March 26, Mr. Trump gave Iran 10 days to open the strait or face strikes. That 10-day window expires Tuesday.

Earlier Monday, the president said Iran was reluctant to “cry uncle.”

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“But they will. And if they don’t, they’ll have no bridges, they’ll have no power plants, they’ll have no anything,” he said.

Democrats and foreign officials have accused Mr. Trump of effectively threatening to commit war crimes.

“Any targeting of civilian infrastructure, namely energy facilities, is illegal and unacceptable,” European Council President Antonio Costa posted on X. “This applies to Russia’s war in Ukraine, and it applies everywhere. The Iranian civilian population is the main victim of the Iranian regime. It would also be the main victim of a widening of the military campaign.”

The European Council provides political direction for the European Union, making Mr. Costa a leading voice on the continent.

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The White House said the outcome of the ultimatum would depend on Iran’s willingness to come to the negotiating table.

“It depends on what they do,” Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump said Iran had to make a deal that is acceptable to him, and that would include the free flow of oil.

At the same time, Mr. Trump said Iran’s willingness to mull a ceasefire plan was a “significant step,” and he was dealing with more cooperative authorities in Iran after the U.S. killed previous leaders.

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“We think they’re actually much smarter,” the president said.

Yet Iran issued a defiant response to the 45-day ceasefire proposal. The regime rejected a temporary pause to the war and called for a lasting resolution that considers Tehran’s security.

In a 10-point response, Iran asserted through Pakistani intermediaries that any temporary ceasefire would be unacceptable, citing previous experiences with the U.S. and Israel, and called for a comprehensive peace agreement that would permanently end hostilities.

The state-affiliated IRNA news agency was the first to report on the Iranian proposal. IRNA said the proposal was drafted after “comprehensive reviews at the highest levels of the system” and “submitted following developments over Saturday and Sunday.” The full text of the response has not been released.

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In addition to a comprehensive peace agreement, Iran’s counteroffer demands the lifting of Western sanctions, reparations for domestic reconstruction efforts, and protocols to ensure the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

The reported proposals are consistent with the demands of Iranian officials since the start of the war and indicate that Tehran may be preparing for a U.S.-led escalation.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran and Israel continued to trade missile attacks. A strike on the northern Israeli port city of Haifa killed four people.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. planned to pound Iran harder Monday than on any other day since the start of the war.

“Tomorrow, even more than today,” Mr. Hegseth said. “And then Iran has a choice. Choose wisely, because this president does not play around.”

U.S. stocks rose slightly on news of a possible ceasefire, though Wall Street has been on an up-and-down ride since the war began.

Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz and its strikes on neighboring nations in the Persian Gulf have resulted in higher oil prices and increased costs at the gas pump for Americans.

The national average price of a gallon of gas reached $4.11, up more than $1 from the start of the conflict, according to AAA. That was the highest level since 2022.

The president defended the war’s duration. He said it has lasted several weeks, while other wars lasted years, and he reiterated the conflict’s central goal.

“We can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Mr. Trump said. “For 47 years, they’ve been bulls——— other presidents.”

Mr. Trump spent much of his press conference recapping the successful effort to retrieve American servicemen behind enemy lines.

Both crew members of an F-15 Strike Eagle, believed to have been brought down by Iranian air defenses, were extracted.

Mr. Trump said the rescue mission involved dozens of aircraft and efforts to fool the Iranians.

“A lot of it was subterfuge,” Mr. Trump said. “We wanted them to look in different areas.”

Mr. Trump said the U.S. struggled to get planes off the ground at one point after the second rescue. Those planes were destroyed so Iran would not seize them, and the U.S. brought in faster, lighter planes.

The president fumed over the leak revealing that one serviceman was still missing after the first had been recovered.

“We are going to go to the media company that released it, and we are going to say, ‘National security, give it up or go to jail,’” Mr. Trump said.

• Vaughn Cockayne and Ben Wolfgang contributed to this report.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.