President Donald Trump set a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and repeatedly warned of the possibility of large-scale attacks on infrastructure.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 5th, local time, President Trump said, "If Iran keeps closing the strait, it will lose every power plant and major facility nationwide." He emphasized, "If there is no action by Tuesday evening, the 7th, there will be no power plant or bridge left."
Earlier the same day, on the social media platform Truth Social, President Trump specified the deadline as "8 p.m. on the 7th, Eastern Time (9 a.m. on the 8th, Korea time)." He suggested that if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened by that time, attacks targeting energy infrastructure across Iran could follow.
On when the war would end, he said, "We will find out soon," avoiding specifics. He added, "We are in a very strong position, and it will take Iran a long time to rebuild."
Asked about concerns over civilian casualties, he replied, "They want us to do that," maintaining a hard-line stance.
The remarks came right after U.S. forces rescued a fighter pilot who had been isolated inside Iran, and are seen as an attempt to reinforce a strategy of combining military pressure with negotiations.