“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day in Iran all wrapped into one. Nothing like it!!!,” he wrote, before venturing into abusive language.
It is the latest in a series of deadlines set by Trump since March 21, when he first threatened to blow up Iran’s power plants and energy facilities. But on each occasion, he justified pushing back his stated timeline by citing talks he claimed were underway with Iran to either open the strait – talks which Tehran has repeatedly denied are taking place.
On Sunday night, Trump issued a specific new deadline: 8 p.m. Tuesday (00:00 GMT, Wednesday), which applies until 3:30 a.m. local time in Iran on Wednesday.
With less than two days to go, mediators including Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey are trying to achieve at least a partial breakthrough in postponing, if not eliminating, the risk of further military escalation by Trump.
Already, the US-Israel war over Iran has killed more than 2,000 people in the country. Concurrently, Israel’s war on Lebanon has killed nearly 1,500 people, as well as more than 100 in Iraq, 24 in Israel and 27 in the Gulf countries. The US has lost 13 service members and, on Sunday, carried out a high-risk rescue operation to rescue an officer after Iran downed an F-15 jet.
But what might a breakthrough between the US and Iran look like, and how likely is it that mediators will be able to reach a deal in time?
45 days ceasefire proposal
A source close to the mediators confirmed to Al Jazeera that a proposal for a 45-day ceasefire is on the table. The idea is to create a long window within which Iran and the US can discuss and negotiate the wide differences between them to reach a long-term agreement to end the war, either directly or through mediators.
But officially, Pakistan – the central mediator between the US and Iran – on Monday refused to confirm or deny the 45-day ceasefire plan. “There have been multiple reports of a 45-day ceasefire proposal or a 15-point exchange,” Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told Al Jazeera. “We do not comment on these individual, specific incidents. Our point is that the peace process is ongoing.”
Trump’s top envoy for talks with Iran Steve Witkoff has earlier confirmed that Pakistan has passed the 15-point plan for peace shared by the US with Iran. Tehran had described US demands under that plan as “extreme” and unacceptable.
American publication Axios also reported a 45-day ceasefire proposal.
Officials said mediators were cautious in detailing their communications between the US and Iran because of the sensitive nature of the negotiation efforts, and particularly the rapidly changing nature of positions expressed by Washington.
a short truce
Officials involved in the mediation efforts told Al Jazeera that a second proposal was also being considered: a short ceasefire. This would not allow any comprehensive talks aimed at ending the war, but it could create a window for the US and Iran to take confidence-building measures that could, in turn, create momentum for a longer ceasefire.
On Monday, Reuters reported that Pakistan-led mediators had shared plans with the US and Iran for a short-term pause in fighting followed by a longer-term ceasefire.
Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was leading mediation efforts, and spoke by phone with US Vice President JD Vance, Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi throughout Sunday night, the agency said.
Under this proposal, Iran would agree to open the Strait of Hormuz – currently, it is only allowing ships from select countries – pending a larger agreement aimed at ending the war.
What has Trump said about the ceasefire plan?
The US President continues to warn of the possibility of a massive military escalation as well as a pause in the fighting.
On Sunday, Trump told Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst that he was confident the US would be able to reach a deal with Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz by Monday.
“I think there’s a good chance tomorrow, they’re in talks right now,” he said.
Reuters also reported that the mediators were pressuring Iran and the US to agree on a deal by Monday.
What is Iran saying?
At a press conference on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai confirmed that mediators were passing messages between Iran and the US, but did not confirm or deny specific proposals for a ceasefire.
“When necessary, we will clearly inform you of its (Iranian government’s) announcement regarding our response to the mediators’ proposals,” he said, before referring to Trump’s threats. “But negotiations are in no way compatible with ultimatums, threats to commit crimes, war crimes.”
The US and Israel have already bombed several Iranian oil facilities, universities and hospitals, as well as pharmaceutical companies and research institutes – attacks that some experts say could amount to war crimes. Analysts have warned that blowing up Iranian bridges and power plants en masse, as Trump has threatened, would almost certainly violate the laws of war.
Iranian officials have also said they are unwilling to be intimidated into accepting Trump’s unilateral deadline.
On Sunday, Mehdi Tabatabai, deputy for communications in the Iranian president’s office, said the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened only after compensation for damages caused by the war is paid.
Meanwhile, Axios reported that Iranian officials were concerned that a short-term ceasefire could create a situation similar to Gaza and Lebanon, where, despite a ceasefire on paper, Israel and the US could continue to attack Iran whenever they want.
<a href