New York, Apr 5 (EFE).- US President Donald Trump said Sunday that a deal with Iran could be reached by Monday, but warned he is considering major military action if negotiations fail.
“I think there is a good chance tomorrow. They’re negotiating now,” Trump told Trey Yingst, Fox News’ chief foreign correspondent.
“The president tells me, ‘If they don’t make a deal, and fast, I’m considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil,’” Yingst said during a live broadcast, a clip of which was later posted on X by Fox News.
There was no immediate response from Tehran.
Trump also claimed he had granted «limited amnesty» to Iranian negotiators to allow talks to continue and previously said Washington was in contact with Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Shortly before, Trump again threatened Iran with severe consequences if it does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, warning of potential attacks on Iranian infrastructure.
“Open the f@#kin strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in hell. Just watch! Praise be to Allah,” he added, reiterating his ultimatum to reopen the strategic waterway.
Trump said the deadline expires at 8:00 p.m. Washington time on Apr. 6.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments pass, has become one of the most destabilizing consequences of the conflict that began Feb. 28 following US and Israeli airstrikes against Iran.
On Wednesday, Trump also warned in a national address that the United States could strike Iran “hard” within the next two or three weeks if tensions continue to escalate.
In the Fox News interview, Trump also said the United States sent weapons to Iranian protesters during nationwide demonstrations earlier this year over rising living costs and opposition to the government.
“The president tells me that the United States sent guns to the Iranian protesters earlier this year. He said we sent them a lot of guns. We sent them to the Kurds. He thinks that the Kurds kept them,” Yingst said, citing Trump.
The remarks would mark the first public acknowledgment by Trump of alleged US covert arms transfers to Iranian protesters during the broader conflict. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the claim. EFE
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