US President Donald Trump – whose 48-hour ultimatum to Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz expires tonight – may extend the deadline if conditions are deemed favourable, reports suggest.
“If the president sees a deal coming, he’s probably going to hold off. But he and he alone makes that decision,” a senior Trump administration official said, according to Axios.
If the deadline is extended, it would mark the fifth such extension granted by a US president.
However, there is not much optimism: a defense official said they are “skeptical” that there will be any extension this time, the portal reported.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that negotiators were “pessimistic” about the chances of Tehran bowing to meet Trump’s demand to reopen the Strait of Hormuz before its deadline on Tuesday night.
Trump escalates threats
Over the weekend, Trump issued an all-out threat to Iran and demanded the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day all rolled into one in Iran. There will be no such thing!!! Open the F***** strait you crazy b***s or live in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” read Trump’s ominous weekend warning.
“Tuesday, 20:00 EST!” he added, setting the exact deadline by which Iran must act.
Subsequently, on Monday, during a press conference celebrating the rescue of the missing airman from the downed F-15, Trump again threatened Iran with “total destruction” and vowed that “every bridge in Iran will be decimated” and “every Iranian power plant will be out of order, burning, exploding and never to be used again.”
Iran is resisting as the deadline looms
Despite Trump’s rather forceful threats, Iran remained defiant, with the country’s foreign ministry making clear on Monday that it would not meet deadlines or be pressured to act.
Iran also reiterated that it would not open the Strait of Hormuz to a temporary truce and said on Monday that it felt Washington was not ready for a permanent truce.
Commenting on Trump’s repeated threats to attack civilian infrastructure, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf also warned that the US president’s “reckless” actions would mean “our whole region will burn”.
The clock is ticking, no deal in sight
With the clock ticking down on Trump’s deadline, Pakistan sent a peace proposal to both the US and Iran on Monday, but Tehran rejected the same and instead responded with its own 10-point plan.
But it remains unclear whether Washington will consider Tehran’s proposal.
Last week, Tehran also rejected the Trump administration’s 15-point peace plan, calling the demands “excessive and unreasonable.”
