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Trump Links Iran Deal to Free Passage Through Hormuz
President Issues Stark Warnings as April 7 Deadline Nears
Key Takeaways:
- Trump said April 6 talks with Iran are going well before an April 7 deadline and insisted free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
- He warned that rejecting his terms could prompt rapid military destruction of bridges and power plants, underscoring high stakes amid mixed administration messages.
- Iran rejected a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire, demanded a permanent end, sanctions relief and compensation, while talks continue involving Vice President JD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff.
President Donald Trump said talks with Iran are “going well” ahead of an April 7 deadline to agree to a deal, even as he insisted that freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz must be part of any agreement.
Trump said April 6 that reopening the strait was “a very big priority,” despite also saying in recent weeks that it wasn’t among the core objectives for ending the conflict. Asked if Iran must open the strait to successfully meet his terms, Trump responded that the deal “is going to be we want free travel and everything.”
Trump said if Iran does not agree to his terms, the military could destroy “every bridge in Iran by 12 o’clock tomorrow night” and put every power plant “out of business.”
“I mean complete demolition by 12 o’clock, and it will happen over a period of four hours, if we wanted to,” he said. “We don’t want that to happen.”
Trump’s comments appeared to be at odds with past remarks from his administration about whether he’d be willing to end the war with the strait still closed. Last week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t list reopening Hormuz as a core U.S. military objective when asked if Trump would declare victory even if passage through the strait remained slow.
(Bloomberg Television via YouTube)
At the press conference, Trump mixed threats with an upbeat assessment of the conversations even though Tehran had earlier rejected a ceasefire proposal and instead demanded a permanent end to the war.
Trump said Vice President JD Vance is involved in the conversations and also mentioned special envoy Steve Witkoff, who had sought an agreement with Tehran before the US and Israel began the war in late February.
“I can tell you that we have a active, willing participant on the other side,” Trump said. “They would like to be able to make a deal. I can’t say any more than that.”
“They’re negotiating, we think in good faith — we’re going to find out,” Trump said.
Earlier Monday, Iran had rejected the terms of a ceasefire deal relayed via Pakistan, which has been mediating efforts to end the conflict. Leaders in Iran have instead called for a permanent end to the war, reconstruction efforts and the lifting of sanctions, in addition to protocols for ensuring safe passage through Hormuz, according to Iranian state-run IRNA.
Iran has said it would only allow strait operations to resume when it is compensated for damage from the war. Tehran has continued striking energy targets in Gulf neighbors, including Kuwait’s oil headquarters. The conflict has already left thousands of people dead.
Catherine Lucey, Hadriana Lowenkron and Jeff Mason contributed to this report.
