Donald Trump Threatens To Destroy Iran’s Civilian Infrastructure if Deal Not Reached ‘Shortly’
US President Donald Trump’s new threat in a social media post and earlier comments in an interview with the Financial Times that suggested American troops could seize Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub highlighted a frequent tactic.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, (JON GAMBRELL, JOSH BOAK and MIKE CORDER), March 30: US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened widespread destruction of Iran’s energy resources and other vital infrastructure, including desalination plants, if a deal to end the war is not reached “shortly.” Tehran meanwhile struck a key water and electrical plant in Kuwait, and an oil refinery in Israel came under attack. Israel and the U.S. launched a new wave of strikes on Iran, as the war raged with no end in sight.
Trump’s new threat in a social media post and earlier comments in an interview with the Financial Times that suggested American troops could seize Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub highlighted a frequent tactic. He has repeatedly claimed to be making diplomatic progress— though Tehran denies negotiating directly — while ramping up his threats and sending thousands more U.S. troops to the Middle East. Donald Trump Warns Iran on Strait of Hormuz, Power Grid if Deal Is Not Reached.
It remains unclear where the diplomatic effort facilitated by Pakistan stands. Iran’s continuing attacks on its Gulf neighbors could further complicate any talks. The United Arab Emirates — which has long billed itself as a beacon of stability in a volatile region — has been hard hit in the war, and is signaling it wants Iran disarmed in any ceasefire. Iran’s theocracy likely won’t accept that.
Donald Trump Says Diplomacy Is Going Well but Threatens Major Escalation
In a social media post, Trump said “great progress is being made” in talks with Iran to end military operations. But he bristled that if a deal is not reached “shortly,” and if the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately reopened, the U.S. would broaden its offensive by “completely obliterating” power plants, oil wells, Kharg Island and possibly even desalination plants that supply drinking water. Donald Trump Again Claims Credit for India-Pakistan Ceasefire, Says He Solved Conflicts That Had Been Going on for Decades.
The strait is a crucial waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped in peacetime. The laws of armed conflict allow attacks on civilian infrastructure such as energy plants only if the military advantage outweighs the civilian harm, legal scholars say. It’s considered a high bar to clear, and causing excessive suffering to civilians can constitute a war crime.
In the FT interview, Trump said his preference would be to “take the oil in Iran” — a move that would require seizing Kharg Island — the terminal through which nearly all of Iran’s oil exports pass. “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t,” he said.
Iran Rejects US Demands As ‘Excessive, Unrealistic and Irrational’
The U.S. already has targeted military positions on Kharg once. Iran has threatened to launch its own ground invasion of Gulf Arab countries and mine the Persian Gulf if U.S. troops set foot on its territory. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei on Monday acknowledged Tehran had received a 15-point proposal from the Trump administration, but said there had been no direct negotiations with Washington. He said the U.S. demands were “excessive, unrealistic and irrational.”
Earlier, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, dismissed the talks in Pakistan as a cover while more U.S. troops are brought to the region. He said Iranian forces were “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever,” according to state media.
Twice during Trump’s second term, the U.S. has attacked Iran during high-level diplomatic talks, including with the Feb. 28 strikes that started the current war.
Iran Attacks Israel and Gulf Infrastructure
Sirens sounded at dawn near Israel’s main nuclear research center, a part of the country that has been targeted repeatedly in recent days. Israel’s military also said it had taken out two drones launched from Yemen, where the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels entered the war on Saturday with their first missile attack.
Iran kept up the pressure on its Gulf Arab neighbors: Saudi Arabia intercepted five missiles targeting its oil-rich Eastern province; a fireball erupted over Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as a missile was intercepted; and in Kuwait, an Iranian attack hit a power and desalination plant, killing one worker and wounding 10 soldiers, the state-run KUNA news agency reported.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 30, 2026 09:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).