Ahmet Salih Alacaci and Yasin Gungor
30 March 2026•Update: 31 March 2026
WASHINGTON / ISTANBUL
US President Donald Trump on Monday said negotiations with Iran to end joint US-Israeli strikes were progressing, but warned that the country's crucial energy infrastructure would be destroyed if talks do not soon bear fruit.
"If for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately 'Open for Business,' we will conclude our lovely 'stay' in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!)," Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
Despite the warning, he said "serious discussions" were ongoing with a "new and more reasonable" Iranian regime.
Trump later told Bloomberg that Iran wants "to settle," suggesting the war is going "unbelievably well."
Iran said Monday it has held no direct negotiations with the US, saying recent contacts were limited to messages conveyed through intermediaries. Regional countries have sought to broker an agreement between the sides, with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar signaling Islamabad would be willing to host talks.
On Sunday, Trump had encouraged diplomatic efforts, with intermediaries including Pakistan, Türkiye, and Egypt involved in indirect contacts between Washington and Tehran. He said indirect talks via Pakistani "emissaries" were progressing, adding: "A deal could be made fairly quickly."
Many senior Iranian officials are among the 1,340 people killed in the air offensive the US and Israel launched against Iran on Feb. 28, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and infrastructure damage while disrupting global markets and aviation.
