Progress has been made in the past 24 hours in the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, though reaching a ceasefire deal by President Trump’s 8 pm ET deadline still looks like a long shot, according to a U.S. official, an Israeli official, and two other sources with knowledge of the talks, Axios reported.
A U.S. official said the thinking in the White House has shifted from “can we get there?” to “can we get there by 8 o’clock tonight?”
Trump threatened to destroy Iran’s bridges and power plants if Iran did not agree to open the Strait of Hormuz, and has mentioned other targets like oil and water infrastructure.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again
Iran says it would retaliate against energy and water facilities in the Gulf states.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran had cut off direct communication due to Trump’s threats, while the New York Times reported that Iran was walking away from negotiations. Iran’s state-run Tehran Times denied the reports. Axios has not confirmed any move by Iran to sever talks.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said only Trump knows “where things stand and what he will do,” adding: “The Iranian regime has until 8 pm Eastern Time to meet the moment and make a deal with the United States.”
”I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday morning.
The Pope Responds to the Threat
Pope Leo XIV has renewed his appeal for peace amid escalating tensions over Iran, warning that threats against an entire people are unacceptable and insisting that the conflict must be brought back to the negotiating table. Speaking to journalists outside Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo on Tuesday evening, the Pope called on “all people of goodwill” to reject war and seek peaceful solutions instead.
The Pope’s intervention came after a day of heightened rhetoric surrounding Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump had threatened the “annihilation” of Iran’s “whole civilization” if Tehran failed to comply with demands over reopening the waterway. In response, Pope Leo said that “this threat against the entire people of Iran … truly is not acceptable” and appealed for dialogue before further lives are lost.
President Trump says things that he doesn’t mean and won’t do. He won’t destroy Iranian civilization. He’ll hit Iran hard, but it won’t be that. That’s my opinion. He says cringeworthy things, but I have more faith in him than that. President Trump wants the Iranian people to be free, not destroyed. Americans don’t want thei ancient culture destroyed either, and he has to know that.