Updated April 6, 2026 at 4:44 PM EDT
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President Trump repeated his threats to Iran's civilian infrastructure Monday, promising destruction if a deal to end the war is not reached by Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET.
Negotiations, he said, must include an open Strait of Hormuz.
"Every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o'clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again. I mean complete demolition by 12 o'clock, and it will happen over a period of four hours if we wanted to, we don't want that to happen," Trump told reporters during a White House press conference.
When Trump launched this war with Iran more than a month ago, he gave a rough deadline of six weeks of conflict. Now, six weeks in, the president's timeline on the war and his plan for the U.S. to pull out of Iran are even more muddied. During his briefing room appearance Monday, he suggested for the first time that the U.S. might get involved in rebuilding Iran if he decides on more intensive strikes.
"We may even get involved with helping them rebuild their nation," Trump said, though he did not specify how the U.S. would support those efforts.
Also unclear is how Trump wants to handle the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has flip-flopped on his messaging for days. He has demanded Iran open the strait. He has told U.S. allies it's up to them to open it. And on Easter Sunday, he issued a profanity-laced social media post demanding Iran open it.
"We have to have a deal that's acceptable to me and part of that deal is going to be, we want free traffic of oil and everything," he said Monday.
Minutes before, he said he would want the U.S. to charge tolls in the strait.
Asked about his mixed messages about the status of the war, and whether it was winding down or ramping up amid his latest threats, he said: "I don't know. I can't tell. It depends what they do. This is a critical period. They have a period of, well, till tomorrow, at eight o'clock."
Trump said he can't discuss a potential ceasefire – which was presented by mediating countries to both the U.S. and Iran on Sunday – but added that the U.S. has "an active, willing participant on the other side" of negotiations.
The president was also asked if he was concerned that the potential U.S. strikes on civilian infrastructure such as bridges and power plants would amount to war crimes under international law. But Trump said he wasn't worried.
"I hope I don't have to do it," he said.
Trump and other administration officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe led off the press conference by describing the mission to rescue a downed U.S. airman whose plane was shot down by Iranian forces in western Iran last Friday.
Trump called his decision to authorize the rescue as "risky" and "hard."
"But in the U.S. military, we leave no American behind," he said. The president claimed Iran "got lucky" when they downed the U.S. fighter jet.
The news conference comes days after Trump formally addressed the nation from the White House and said the conflict would end "shortly." During that address, he criticized other countries without specifics and said it was up to others to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the route through which 20% of the world's oil is transported.
Iran's blockade of the strait during the war has led to a jump in gas prices globally, hitting an average of $4 per gallon last week in the U.S.
The president has also been threatening a surge in strikes on Iran Tuesday, unless the strait is reopened by tomorrow evening.
"Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran," Trump said on social media over the weekend, "Open the F***in' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH!"
The post came as a trio of countries, including Pakistan, sought to mediate negotiations. They submitted a 45-day ceasefire proposal to the U.S. and Iran on Sunday. On Monday, Trump called the proposal "a significant step."
For weeks, Trump has been moving the goal posts on the administration's goals with Iran, including whether the U.S. will remove Iran's uranium stockpiles. Trump has also suggested that the U.S. could end the war but strike Iran again later if the country aims to build up nuclear defenses.
Polling shows that Americans oppose the war in Iran. Even among Republican supporters of the president, his approval rating has dipped. A CNN poll released last week showed that
Republicans who strongly approve of Trump's job performance dropped to 43%, compared to 52% in January.
High costs, including gas prices, remain a top of mind concern for voters heading into the midterm elections in about seven months. On Monday, Trump said the high prices might last into the summer.
"We're never going to let them have a nuclear weapon," Trump said of Iran. "If we have to pay a little extra for fuel for a couple of months... we'll do that."
Copyright 2026 NPR
