Trump Warns Iran: ‘No Nuclear Weapons’ as He Calls 45-Day Ceasefire Proposal a ‘Significant Step’
US President Donald Trump on Monday described a 45-day ceasefire proposal in the Iran conflict as a “very significant step” while stating for the first time the core American objective in plain terms: Tehran cannot be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.
“It’s a significant proposal, it’s a significant step. It’s not good enough, but it’s a very significant step,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that intermediaries “are negotiating now.”
His comments followed Iran’s formal rejection of the US ceasefire proposal, which Tehran conveyed through Pakistan, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. Rather than accepting a temporary truce, Iran pushed for a permanent end to the war. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei was unambiguous in his pushback, stating that “negotiation is in no way compatible with ultimatums, with crimes, or with the threat of committing war crimes.”
Iran’s counter-position laid out a 10-clause framework demanding a regional end to hostilities, safe passage guarantees through the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions relief, and commitments toward reconstruction.
The 45-day ceasefire proposal itself was put forward by Egyptian, Pakistani, and Turkish mediators and submitted to both Iran and the United States. A White House official confirmed it was “one of many ideas” under discussion, clarified that Trump had not endorsed it, and stated that Operation Epic Fury was still ongoing.
Despite the diplomatic back-and-forth, Trump sharpened his threats and drew a hard line at Tuesday. “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” he warned, threatening to leave Iran with “no bridges, no power plants” if no agreement was reached. He also said that if given the choice, he would “take the oil” and “take care of the Iranian people.”
When pressed on his use of expletives in a Truth Social post related to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Trump defended the language as deliberate. “Only to make my point,” he said. “I think you’ve heard it before.”
Trump also claimed the US had achieved “total regime change in Iran,” described Iran as having been “a little bit lucky,” and suggested the new leadership Washington was engaging with in Tehran was “not so radical.”
The deadline has been pushed to Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. Two sources confirmed that an operational plan for a large-scale US-Israeli bombing campaign targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure is ready to execute, though the extension was granted to allow diplomacy a final window.