Trump warns Iran he will "wipe everything out" if talks fail

The Financial News reported that Donald Trump, who has extended the deadline for peace talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran by one day, warned that he would wipe out everything in Iran if the negotiations fall apart. At the same time, he left open the option of sending in ground troops.
In an interview with Axios on the 5th (local time), Trump said he was engaged in "deep negotiations" with the Islamic Republic of Iran and claimed an agreement could be reached before the 7th. He said there was a "good chance" of a deal with Iran, but added, "If they do not agree, I will wipe everything out there." He went on to say, "The talks are going well, but with Iran we never seem to get to the finish line."
Trump, who has been attacking the Islamic Republic of Iran together with Israel since February 28, threatened on Truth Social on the 21st of last month that he would strike Iran’s power grid unless it fully opened the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. On the 23rd of the same month, he suddenly claimed he was in talks with Iran and said he was postponing the attack by five days, and on the 26th he announced that the postponement 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 the U.S. terms or to open the Strait of Hormuz."
On the 5th, Trump wrote on Truth Social, "This Tuesday (the 7th) will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day in Iran, and nothing will be more spectacular." He continued, "Open the damn strait, you lunatics. Otherwise you will live in hell." About five hours later he posted again on Truth Social, writing, "Tuesday (the 7th) 8 p.m. Eastern Time! (9 a.m. on the 8th Korea time)."
Local media concluded that Trump had pushed back the negotiation deadline by one day, from the 6th to the 7th of this month. In his interview with Axios on the 5th, Trump claimed that a few days earlier the two sides had almost agreed to move from indirect to direct talks. At present, the two sides are believed to be holding indirect negotiations through mediation by pro‐U.S. countries in the Middle East such as Pakistan and Egypt.
Trump said, "But then they said, ‘Let’s meet in five days.’ I asked why it would take five days. I felt they were not serious. So I struck that bridge." On the 2nd, Trump posted a video on Truth Social showing the Karaj B1 Bridge west of Tehran being destroyed in an airstrike, writing, "Time for Iran to make a deal before it’s too late!" The bridge, with piers 136 meters high, is known as the tallest bridge not only in Iran but in the entire Middle East.
Trump also stressed that he could deploy ground troops even after a U.S. fighter jet was shot down over the Islamic Republic of Iran on the 3rd and a mission was launched to rescue the pilot. In an interview with The Hill on the 5th, when asked whether he was ruling out sending ground forces into Iran, he replied, "No." He added, "Any normal person would make a deal. Any smart person would make a deal," and said, "If they are smart, they will make a deal."
According to U.S. media, the U.S. military had deployed about 5,000 U.S. Marine Corps personnel and some 2,000 U.S. Army airborne forces to the Middle East by last month in preparation for possible ground combat with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Foreign outlets have reported that the United States is planning to seize Kharg Island, Iran’s key oil hub inside the Persian Gulf, and that to do so it could deploy ground troops to islands near the Strait of Hormuz to secure supply routes.

pjw@fnnews.com Park Jong-won Reporter