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The president Donald Trump issued his strongest warning to date against Iran this Sunday, stating to Fox News that "if Iran does not sign this agreement, the whole country will be blown up", and described the situation as Tehran's "last opportunity."
The statements were made in a telephone interview lasting approximately twenty minutes with correspondent Trey Yingst, in which Trump specified that the targets would include critical infrastructure: "Bridges and power plants will be attacked if Iran does not sign this agreement".
The president emphasized that the deal on the table is straightforward: "This is a very simple agreement," he said, but warned that he would not repeat what he referred to as the mistake of former president Barack Obama, who handed over cash to Iran and allowed its nuclear program to continue, in reference to the 2015 nuclear agreement and the payment of 1.7 billion dollars made by the Democratic administration.
The agreement that Washington demands includes the total and immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the delivery of highly enriched uranium that was buried underground after the Midnight Hammer Operation, carried out in June 2025, which destroyed Iran's nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Trump also announced that his special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, on Monday — possibly until Wednesday — to attempt to finalize the agreement with Pakistani mediation.
The statements come at a time of heightened tension: this Sunday, Iran completely closed the Strait of Hormuz, citing the U.S. naval blockade of its ports declared on April 12 following the collapse of 21 hours of negotiations in Islamabad.
The closure of the Strait, through which a critical portion of the world's oil passes, has caused the price of Brent crude to surge from 67 to over 126 dollars since Iran began restricting passage in March.
The conflict escalated dramatically in late February with Operation Epic Fury, a 38-day joint offensive by the U.S. and Israel that reportedly destroyed 90% of Iran's missile capability and 95% of its drones, striking over 13,000 targets.
During that operation, the supreme leader Ali Khamenei was eliminated along with 49 high-ranking officials of the regime.
Since March 26, Trump has issued multiple ultimatums, which he has extended in response to signs of diplomatic progress. On April 16, Pakistan announced a significant advancement in the negotiations and Trump stated that Iran had agreed to halt its nuclear program, although the definitive agreement did not come to fruition.
The U.S. sent Iran a 15-point plan in March demanding the complete dismantling of the nuclear program and a twenty-year moratorium. Trump's assessment of the Iranian ten-point counterproposal was that it was "not serious," partly because its Farsi version included acceptance of uranium enrichment, which directly contradicted Washington's demand for zero enrichment.
"If they do not comply, the United States will destroy every power plant and every bridge in Iran," Trump reiterated, making it clear that the window for diplomacy is closing.
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