The last chance for Iran before Trump’s hell… Talks of a 45-day truce
Intensive Iranian moves and contacts with mediators are underway to reach an agreement with the United States on a 45-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the war before the expiration of U.S. President Donald Trump’s ultimatum, in which he threatened Tehran with “hell.”
Trump told The Wall Street Journal on Sunday that the deadline he had given Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — or face attacks on vital infrastructure — expires Tuesday evening.
The website Axios reported, citing four well-informed American, Israeli, and Middle Eastern sources, that Iran and a group of regional mediators are discussing the terms of a possible 45-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the war, describing it as the “last chance” before “Trump’s hell.”
The report indicated that mediators are discussing the terms of a two-phase agreement, with the first phase being a potential 45-day ceasefire during which negotiations would be conducted toward a permanent end to the war.
The report stated that the second phase would be an agreement to end the war.
It added that the ceasefire could be extended if negotiations require more time.
Neither the White House nor the U.S. State Department had commented on the matter as of 4:25 GMT.
The talks will collapse
In Israel, assessments predict the collapse of U.S.–Iran negotiations, and the Israeli army is preparing to launch major strikes that include energy facilities.
The Israeli newspaper Maariv revealed that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved on Saturday evening a series of targets related to energy infrastructure in Iran.”
It added: “The assessments in Israel are that Donald Trump will give the green light.”
For its part, Israel’s Channel 12 News stated: “Prevailing assessments in Israel indicate that negotiations between the United States and Iran will collapse and will not reach a stage where real progress can be announced, let alone understandings.”
Channel 12 noted that “in Israel, preparations are underway for the collapse of the talks, and there is an understanding that if this happens, a ‘window of opportunity,’ described by officials at the political level as ‘rare,’ will open, allowing attacks on major targets in Iran — energy facilities and national infrastructure.”
It said: “The relevant targets were presented to members of the restricted security cabinet and were jointly coordinated between Israel and the United States.”
Trump’s ultimatum
The new deadline, at midnight Tuesday-Wednesday GMT, represents a one-day extension of Trump’s ultimatum to Tehran after he threatened to destroy power stations and bridges in the country if no agreement is reached.
In late March, the U.S. president extended the ultimatum by ten days until Monday, April 6. Trump set a series of conditions for an agreement with Iran, particularly the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
On Sunday, Trump told Fox News that there was a “good chance” of reaching an agreement with Iran on Monday.
During a phone interview with a Fox News correspondent, the U.S. president said: “I think there is a good chance tomorrow; they are negotiating now.” He warned that “if they do not quickly reach an agreement, I am seriously considering destroying everything and taking the oil.”
According to the U.S. president, the negotiations are no longer about Iran possessing a nuclear weapon, as Tehran has, according to Trump, abandoned that idea.
Trump conducted phone interviews with several American media outlets on Sunday and, in one of them with The Wall Street Journal, renewed his call for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
He said: “If they want to keep it closed, they will lose every power station and every other facility they have in the country.”
Asked when he expected the conflict to end, Trump replied: “I will tell you soon.”
He added: “But we are in an extremely strong position, and this country will need 20 years to rebuild, if they are lucky, if they still have a country left.”
Trump continued: “And if they do nothing by Tuesday night, they will have no power plants left, and no bridges will remain standing.”
