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U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran could be "taken out" in one night and that such a strike "might be tomorrow night," while warning Tehran it had until 8 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on bridges, power plants and other infrastructure.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the war could either wind down or escalate depending on what Iran does next, describing the current moment as a critical period.
He said talks were continuing through intermediaries and described Iran as an "active, willing participant" in negotiations, but also repeated threats of severe military action if Tehran failed to meet the deadline.
Trump said his original deadline had been Monday, but that he extended it because the day after Easter was not appropriate.
Trump said the U.S. war effort against Iran was going well and claimed the United States could destroy the country in a single night.
"The entire country can be taken out in one night," Trump said. "And that night might be tomorrow night."
He also said he would not say whether the war was winding down.
"I can't tell you - depends what they do. This is a critical period," Trump said.
Trump said Iran had until 8 p.m. Tuesday Eastern time to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, adding that he had extended the deadline from Monday.
"They have a period of - well, 'til tomorrow at 8:00. I gave them an extension," he said.
He said the initial deadline for Monday "was inappropriate the day after Easter. I want to be a nice person."
Trump said that if Iran failed to meet the Wednesday deadline, it would have "no bridges" and "no power plants" and would be like "the stone ages."
"We can bomb the hell out of them," he said.
He also repeated earlier threats to strike civilian infrastructure if Tehran does not capitulate by the Tuesday evening deadline.
Asked by a New York Times reporter whether he was concerned about deliberately striking civilian infrastructure, Trump said he was not concerned and hoped he would not have to do it.
"If you think I am going to allow them to have a nuclear weapon, you can tell your friends at the New York Times that it's not going to happen," Trump said.
He said his response would depend on what Iran does next.
In separate remarks, Trump also said he was "not at all" concerned as criticism mounted over his threats to destroy Iran's bridges and power plants.
Trump said he could not talk about a ceasefire, but said Iran was taking part in talks.
"I can't talk about ceasefire, but I can tell you that we have an active, willing participant on the other side. They would like to be able to make a deal. I can't say any more than that," he said.
Trump also said negotiations through intermediaries were progressing.
"Essentially they have till 8 p.m. tomorrow night, eastern time, but we are dealing with them. I think it's going well. Mr. Witkoff is here and JD is involved in the dealing. Mr. Witkoff is sitting right here and I think it's going fine, but we'll have to see," he said.
According to the text, Trump had previously confirmed that Vice President JD Vance, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner were speaking with intermediary countries about the Iran war.
He also said Iran's response to a U.S. proposal was significant, but not sufficient.
Trump said Iranian civilians wanted the United States to continue bombing because they were living under dangerous conditions.
Asked whether striking infrastructure would punish civilians, Trump replied, "It's suffering. They would be willing to suffer that in order to have freedom."
He said the Iranian people wanted freedom and claimed the U.S. had heard calls from inside Iran through intercepts.
"We've had numerous intercepts, 'Please keep bombing.' Bombs that are dropping near their homes, 'Please keep bombing. Do it.' And these are people that are living where the bombs are exploding. And when we leave and we're not hitting those areas, they're saying, 'Please come back, come back, come back,'" Trump said.
He also said Iranians "want us to keep bombing" because their lives were in greater danger with the country's leadership.
At the same time, Trump said it was very hard for Iranians to protest because people were being shot by their own military.
"I actually tell them don't go out, I fully understand," he said.
Trump also said the United States had tried to send weapons to anti-government protesters in Iran, but the weapons never reached the intended people.
"We sent guns, a lot of guns, they were supposed to go to the people so they could fight back against these thugs," Trump said.
He said the weapons were kept by others instead.
"You know what happened? The people that they sent them to kept them," Trump said.
He added that he was angry with what he described as a certain group of people and said they would "pay a big price," but did not identify them.
Trump also said the United States, rather than Iran, should impose tolls on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
"What about us charging tolls?" he said. "I'd rather do that than let them have them."
Iran has asserted control over the waterway by issuing a new toll system for tankers seeking to pass through. The country approved a plan last month to impose tolls on ships passing through the strait and enforce what it described as "Iran's sovereign role."
Trump said he believed the U.S. should impose such tolls because of what he described as U.S. military success in the current conflict.
"Why shouldn't we? We're the winner," he said. "We won. OK? They are militarily defeated."
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