Trump’s Iran deadline ends today: Tehran stares at threat of US strikes on power plants, bridges

US President Donald Trump on Monday escalated his rhetoric against Iran, threatening to destroy critical infrastructure within hours if Tehran does not agree to a deal to end the conflict by Tuesday night at 8 pm ET.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said the US military has a plan to cripple Iran’s critical systems, including bridges and power plants, in a sweeping assault.

“We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o'clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again,” Trump told reporters. “I mean complete demolition … and it will happen over a period of four hours if we wanted to — we don't want that to happen.”

The president said the ultimatum includes a demand that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping traffic as part of any agreement.

The Strait of Hormuz is a vital conduit for global oil supplies, and disruptions in the strategic waterway have sent the oil prices soaring.

What was the 45-day ceasefire proposal?

According to Axios, the mediators were working to broker a two-phase agreement.

The first phase would involve a 45-day ceasefire during which negotiations toward a permanent settlement would continue.

The second phase would focus on a comprehensive agreement to end the war.

Talks are being conducted through intermediaries from Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey, as well as via indirect communication between Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the report said.

How Iran responded

Iran has rejected a US-backed 45-day ceasefire proposal, insisting instead on a permanent end to hostilities. Tehran has conveyed a separate 10-point plan through Pakistan, which has been acting as a mediator, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps navy said Sunday that conditions in the Strait of Hormuz would “never return” to pre-war norms for the US and Israel.

Trump's reaction

“We have to have a deal that’s acceptable to me, and part of that deal is going to be we want free traffic of oil and everything,” Trump said.

Trump dismissed concerns about potential violations of international law if such strikes were carried out.

“You know the war crime?” he said. “The war crime is allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

His comments came amid mounting warnings from the United Nations that attacks on civilian infrastructure could breach international humanitarian law.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said Monday that even if infrastructure is deemed a military objective, strikes would be prohibited if they risk “excessive incidental civilian harm.”

Trump also suggested that Iranians themselves support stronger US action, claiming they are “willing to suffer” to end their current leadership.

He added that Washington could assist in rebuilding Iran if an agreement is reached.

“We may even get involved with helping them rebuild their nation,” he said.

The latest remarks follow a series of increasingly aggressive statements by Trump over the past week, including social media posts threatening to “completely obliterate” Iran’s energy infrastructure and a primetime address pledging to strike power-generating facilities “very hard and probably simultaneously.”

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” he wrote on Truth Social. “There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”