Trump's carrot and stick

“We are engaging in serious discussions with a brand-new, more rational Iranian government” — Trump wrote on Truth Social, emphasizing “significant progress has been made.” But he immediately followed with the second part: if an agreement is not reached in the short term and the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened immediately, the United States will “destroy and completely obliterate all of Iran’s power plants, oil wells, and Hark Island, possibly including all seawater desalination plants.”
While calling for a “more rational” approach, he also singled out civilian facilities for bombing. Iran did not accept this; Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baharvand responded that Iran has not engaged in any direct negotiations with the U.S., and the U.S. side’s “15-point plan” demands are “excessive and unreasonable.”
In this round of international politics, even the definition of “negotiation” is fighting.