Trump Threatens Iran While Claiming Negotiations Are "Progressing Smoothly"

This article is reprinted from [Xinhua News Agency];

Xinhua News Agency, Washington, April 6 — U.S. President Trump, at a press conference held at the White House on April 6, issued threats, saying that the U.S. military only needs “4 hours” to destroy all bridges and power stations in Iran. He also claimed that negotiations with Iran are “going very smoothly.”

At the press conference, Trump said that the U.S. is holding dialogue with Iran, with Vice President Vance and President’s special envoy Witkoff taking part in it.

“I think everything is going well, but we’ll wait and see.” He also said, “I can’t talk about a ceasefire, but I can tell you that the other side has a positive and willing participant,” “They hope to reach an agreement. Other than that, I can’t reveal anything more.”

Earlier that day, at an event at the White House, Trump told the media that after he issued a final ultimatum on the 5th, Iran’s negotiating representatives put forward a major proposal, an action which “is not good enough, but it is indeed an important step.” Iran “has already taken a very important step. We’ll wait and see.”

At the press conference, Trump threatened that if Iran failed to reach an agreement by 20:00 on the 7th U.S. Eastern Time to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, he would launch an airstrike lasting 4 hours.

“We have a plan: by 24:00 tomorrow (U.S. Eastern Time), every bridge inside Iran will be completely destroyed; every power station will be completely paralyzed. They will be engulfed in flames, explode, and will never be able to be put back into use again.” He said, “If we’re willing, all of this can be done in just a short four hours. But we don’t want this to happen.”

When asked by the media whether destroying Iran’s civilian infrastructure and cutting off power supplies by the U.S. military is a way to punish the Iranian people, Trump even made a ridiculous claim: “They are willing… They are willing to endure this suffering.” Earlier that day, he also made a similarly ridiculous claim that the Iranian people “want to hear the sound of bombs.”

According to a report released on April 6 by Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran responded to a proposal put forward by the United States to end the war. The response includes 10 clauses and covers a series of demands on Iran’s part, including ending regional conflicts, drafting security and transit arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz, carrying out reconstruction, and lifting sanctions. Iran rules out the possibility of a temporary ceasefire and emphasizes that the conflict must be ended permanently.

The Wall Street Journal on April 6, citing informed sources, reported that the United States and regional mediators are working to push a 45-day ceasefire agreement in an effort to completely end the war between the United States and Iran, but that the likelihood of reaching an agreement “still remains slim.”

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