Donald Trump has threatened military action against Iran, vowing to “blow up” its energy infrastructure if it does not allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran dismisses U.S. peace proposals as “unrealistic.” The threats came as thousands of U.S. troops arrived in the Middle East.
Troop Deployment and Threats
The U.S. president posted on his platform Truth Social that America would be “blowing up” Iran’s strategically-important Kharg Island if leaders refused to make a deal. He stated the U.S. was in “serious discussions” with a “NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME” to end the conflict.
“Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately “Open for Business,” we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet “touched”,” Trump said.
The White House indicated an April 6 deadline for Tehran.
Thousands of U.S. Army soldiers have arrived in the Middle East, in addition to 2,500 U.S. Marines who arrived over the weekend, according to two U.S. officials quoted by Reuters. No decision has been made to send troops into Iran, but they will build up capacity for potential future operations in the region, one of the sources said.
The soldiers could be used for several purposes, including an attempt to seize Kharg Island, the hub for 90 per cent of Iran’s oil exports.
Regional Escalation
Israel’s military said two drones from Yemen had been intercepted, two days after the Iran-aligned Houthis fired missiles at Israel. Lebanon’s Hezbollah also fired rockets at Israel.
Israeli forces carried out missile strikes on what they called military infrastructure in Tehran and infrastructure used by Iran-backed Hezbollah in Beirut, leaving black smoke hanging over the Lebanese capital.
Türkiye’s defence ministry said a ballistic missile launched from Iran entered Turkish airspace before being shot down by NATO air and missile defences deployed in the eastern Mediterranean, the fourth such incident since the start of the war.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said it had received U.S. peace proposals via intermediaries, following talks on Sunday between the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. However, he added that the American proposals were “unrealistic, illogical and excessive.”
“Our position is clear. We are under military aggression. Therefore, all our efforts and strength are focused on defending ourselves,” he told a press conference.
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