President Donald Trump said in a Fox News interview that unless Tehran accepts a deal by next week, the United States will expand its strikes to include Iran's power plants and bridges. 'We will destroy all their power plants and bridges unless they return to the negotiating table,' Trump said. He added that the current round of strikes will continue until he says otherwise, and that U.S. and Iranian representatives spoke on Tuesday.
President Trump confirmed in a Fox News interview that U.S. and Iranian representatives held talks on Tuesday, adding a diplomatic dimension to his escalating military threats. The acknowledgment, reported by Radio Farda and cited by N12, comes as Trump set a one-week deadline for a nuclear deal and threatened to strike Iranian power plants and bridges if negotiations fail.
The threat sequence began early Wednesday morning. At 01:14 Jerusalem, Barak Ravid of N12 first reported Trump's warning of strikes on power plants and bridges next week. Within minutes, The Zioneer's wire published multiple versions of the same interview, with Trump specifying a three-night strike campaign (05:49 Jerusalem) and vowing "very hard" strikes tonight by 08:30 Jerusalem. The Zioneer's bulletin at 08:30 noted Trump declined to elaborate on plans regarding Kharg Island. Separately, N12 correspondent Sapir Lipkin cited sources that any further escalation depends on the level of U.S. strikes on Iran or on Washington granting Israel a green light for more intense operations inside Iran.
The Zioneer has previously reported on Trump's threats to Iran's infrastructure, including a June 10 statement signaling expansion to power plants and bridges, and a July 6 warning that he could "wipe out" all Iranian power plants. The current negotiation context is marked by escalating pressure, with Trump telling the New York Times on Monday he would "renew military attacks" if talks falter.
It remains unclear what was discussed in Tuesday's talks or whether they have advanced toward a deal. The deadline of "next week" for infrastructure strikes has not been further defined, and Trump's earlier mention of a possible ground operation in Iran remains unsubstantiated and vague.
5 developments
- DevelopingTrump says he can destroy all of Iran's bridges in an hour, shut down electricity in part of an afternoon
- DevelopingTrump tells NYT he will 'renew military attacks' on Iran if nuclear talks falter
- StrongTrump warns Iran: 'If there is no deal, I will finish the job'
- StrongTrump to Iran: If you violate the deal, I'll do what I have to do
Source and signal
- Internal intake