Trump Threatens Iran While Claiming Negotiations Are "Progressing Smoothly"

Source: Xinhua News Agency

WASHINGTON, April 6—At a news briefing held at the White House on April 6, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened that the U.S. military only needed “4 hours” to blow up all of Iran’s bridges and power plants. He also claimed that negotiations between the United States and Iran are “going very smoothly.”

At the briefing, Trump said that the United States is holding talks with Iran, with Vice President Vance and Presidential envoy Whitkov taking part.

“I think everything is going smoothly, but we’ll have to wait and see.” He also said, “I can’t talk about a ceasefire, but I can tell you that the other side has a positive and willing participant,” “they hope to reach an agreement. Other than that, I can’t disclose anything more.”

Earlier that day at an event at the White House, Trump told the media that after he issued his final ultimatum on the 5th, Iran’s negotiating representatives put forward a major proposal. He said the move “isn’t good enough, but it really is an important step.” Iran “has already taken a very important step. We’ll have to wait and see.”

At the briefing, Trump threatened that if Iran failed to reach an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz before 20:00 U.S. Eastern Time on the 7th, he would launch an airstrike lasting 4 hours.

“We have a plan: by (U.S. Eastern Time) 24:00 tomorrow, every bridge inside Iran will be completely destroyed; every power station will be completely paralyzed. They will be engulfed in flames, have explosions, and will never be able to be put back into use.” He said, “If we’re willing, all of this can be completed in just four short hours. But we don’t want this to happen.”

When asked by the media whether blowing up Iran’s civilian infrastructure and cutting off power supplies is intended to punish the Iranian people, Trump absurdly claimed: “They’re willing… They’re willing to endure this suffering.” Earlier that day, he had also absurdly claimed that the Iranian people “want to hear the sound of bombs.”

According to a report released on April 6 by Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran has responded to a U.S. proposal to end the war. The response includes 10 clauses and covers a range of demands from Iran, including ending conflicts in the region, reaching a security passage agreement for the Strait of Hormuz, carrying out reconstruction, and lifting sanctions. Iran rules out the possibility of a temporary ceasefire and stresses that the conflict must be ended permanently.

The Wall Street Journal reported on April 6, citing informed officials, that the United States and regional mediators are pushing for a 45-day ceasefire agreement in an effort to fully end the war between the United States and Iran, but that the likelihood of reaching an agreement remains “still bleak.”

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