Trump Extends Iran Negotiation Deadline by One Day, Until the 7th, While Posting Profanity Online

According to The Financial News, Donald Trump, who had demanded that the Islamic Republic of Iran either accept a U.S. proposal to end the war or open the Strait of Hormuz by the 6th (local time), has extended the negotiation deadline by one more day. He is, however, still planning to hold a press conference on Iran on the 6th.
On the 5th, Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social, "This Tuesday (the 7th) will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day in Iran, and there will be nothing more spectacular than that." He then added, "Open the damn strait, you lunatics, or you will live in hell."
About five hours later, Trump posted again on Truth Social, writing, "Tuesday (the 7th) at 8 p.m. Eastern Time! (9 a.m. on the 8th in Korea)."
Trump, who has been attacking the Islamic Republic of Iran together with Israel since February 28, warned on Truth Social on the 21st of last month that if Iran did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, he would strike the country's power grid. On the 23rd, he abruptly claimed that he was in negotiations with Iran and said he would postpone the attack by five days. On the 26th, he announced that the suspension of strikes would be extended until the 6th of this month. On the 4th, Trump warned on Truth Social, "There is not much time left. They have 48 hours until the gates of hell open for them." He added, "Remember when I gave Iran ten days either to agree to our terms or to open the Strait of Hormuz."
Trump’s posts on the 5th are widely interpreted as indicating that he has pushed back the negotiation deadline with the Islamic Republic of Iran by one more day, to the 7th. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) the same day, he said, "If they (the Iranian leadership) do not comply and continue trying to keep the strait closed, they will lose every power plant in the country and every other facility as well."
Asked when he thought the war might end, Trump replied, "I will let you know soon." He continued, "But we are in a very strong position, and it will take them 20 years to rebuild that country—if they are lucky, and if they manage to keep it as a country at all."
He went on, "If they do not do something by Tuesday (the 7th) evening, they will not have a single power plant left, and no bridge will be standing." When asked whether he was concerned about the suffering that Iranian civilians would endure from strikes on infrastructure, Trump answered, "No. They want us to do it," claiming, "They are living in hell right now." Trump has also announced that, in connection with the rescue of a U.S. McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle pilot in Iran, he will hold a press conference with military officials at the White House at 1 p.m. on the 6th.
In a separate interview on the 5th with another U.S. outlet, Fox News, Trump said, "I think there is a high chance we could reach a cease-fire agreement with Iran tomorrow," adding, "Negotiations are underway right now." He warned that if talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran fail, "You will see bridges and power plants across Iran being destroyed," and said, "If they do not reach an agreement quickly, we are considering blowing everything away and taking the oil."

Meanwhile, according to France’s Agence France-Presse (AFP), Russian Federation Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov referred to Trump’s Truth Social remarks during a phone call on the 5th with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi. Lavrov told Araghchi, "The Russian Federation hopes that the efforts of various countries to de-escalate tensions surrounding Iran will succeed," adding, "This will be possible if the United States stops issuing ultimatum-style statements and brings the situation back onto a negotiating track."

pjw@fnnews.com Park Jong-won Reporter