President Donald Trump issued a stark ultimatum to Iran on Sunday, 19, April, 2026 warning that the United States would demolish the country’s civilian infrastructure if a deal is not reached in upcoming negotiations.
In posts on Truth Social, Trump wrote that unless Iran accepts his terms, “the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” signing off the message with “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!” In a follow-up post, Trump clarified the deadline was 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday.
The threats come amid a tense standoff over the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway in the Persian Gulf that has been effectively closed to shipping by Iranian strikes since February 28, when the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran that killed the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
In the weeks since, Iran’s counterattacks have struck U.S. bases across the Gulf, strategic Gulf infrastructure, and drastically slowed shipping in the Strait, causing a global shortage of oil and energy supplies and sending gas prices in the U.S. skyrocketing.
Iran had earlier indicated it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz in line with a ceasefire agreement, but has since closed the strait again, citing Washington’s continued containment policy against Tehran.
Despite the inflammatory rhetoric, Trump indicated diplomacy was still on the table for now. Trump promised a quick second round of U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad this week, while again threatening to strike all power plants and bridges in the country if negotiations fail.
However, Iran was noncommittal about joining any talks, with the semi-official Tasnim news agency reporting the Islamic Republic would not attend as long as the U.S. Navy blockade was in place, though messages were still being passed through intermediaries.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA also said Tehran would not attend the second round of negotiations supposedly scheduled for Monday.
