ISTANBUL
US President Donald Trump said Sunday there was a strong chance of reaching an agreement with Iran as soon as Monday, while also threatening to escalate attacks dramatically if Tehran fails to deliver quickly.
"There’s a good chance tomorrow," Trump told Fox News about a possible deal with Iran, but later told Israeli Channel 12 News that an agreement with Tehran could be reached by Tuesday.
Iran did not respond immediately to Trump's claim that an agreement may be near.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump said he was considering "blowing everything up" and "taking over the oil" if Iran does not move fast enough toward a deal.
He said he had granted "immunity from death" to Iranian negotiators to ensure talks could continue, though there was no immediate response from Tehran to this claim. Trump said previously that Washington was in contact with Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker.
Trump also told Axios that the US is in "deep negotiations" with Iran, naming his envoys Steve Witkoff and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner as the lead negotiators. Two sources involved in the talks told the online outlet that the negotiations were taking place through Turkish, Pakistani, and Egyptian mediators, as well as via text messages between Trump's advisers and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Trump said talks were "going well" but that reaching a final agreement with Iran was never straightforward.
'Power plant and bridge day' threat
He also explained the reasoning behind Wednesday's US strike on the B1 bridge, saying Iranian officials had told him they needed five more days before meeting, a delay he interpreted as a lack of seriousness. "I felt they were not being serious. So I attacked the bridge," he said.
Trump claimed Iran agreed to not to pursue a nuclear weapon, something it has long denied doing. "That's already been conceded. Most of the points are conceded," he told Fox News.
The remarks came on the same day Trump issued a stark warning on his social media platform Truth Social, declaring that Tuesday would be "Power plant day, and bridge day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran" – referring to his threats to target Iran’s infrastructure – adding: "There will be nothing like it!!!" He also told Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz "or you'll be living in hell — just watch!"
Trump also addressed the recent operation to rescue a downed US navigator in Iran in an interview with Israel's Channel 12 on Sunday, saying he was highly satisfied with its outcome. He said the mission was primarily American but acknowledged that Israel had provided some assistance.
The president said the US has rescued a “seriously wounded and really brave" F-15 crew member "from deep inside the mountains of Iran."
Asked by Axios whether he was concerned about harming civilians in Iran, Trump said he believes those who oppose the government would welcome strikes. "They are living in fear. They are afraid we are gonna leave in the middle of the war, but we are not going to leave."
Trump also said that Washington had sent weapons to Iranian protesters earlier this year, with guns transported via Kurdish intermediaries, though he suggested the Kurds had kept them rather than passing them on.
The US dispatched the arms during nationwide protests in January, around the time Trump told demonstrators via Truth Social that "help is on its way." Tehran has accused Washington of fomenting unrest in the country, allegations the US has denied.
The region has been on alert since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes on Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf states hosting US forces, while restricting movement through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which roughly 20 million barrels of oil passed daily, before the start of the war.