President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Iran’s president had requested a ceasefire from the United States but declared he would not consider such a move until the “Hormuz Strait is open, free and clear.” The remarks preceded a planned Wednesday evening address to the nation on Operation Epic Fury.
Trump vowed to continue “blasting Iran into oblivion” in the interim. His statement referenced Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who suggested during a Tuesday call with the president of the European Council that Iran would be willing to “end this conflict, provided that essential conditions are met, especially the guarantees required to prevent repetition of the aggression.”
The president emphasized his pursuit of peaceful resolution while warning that if demands remain unmet, the United States will escalate military operations by targeting Iran’s oil, gas, and electricity infrastructure. On Monday, Trump stated that Iranian leaders in negotiations were “MORE REASONABLE” than previous figures, notably the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei. He added the U.S. is engaged in serious discussions with a new and more reasonable regime to end military operations in Iran.
Trump cautioned that failure to achieve a deal and ensure the Hormuz Strait’s status would result in the United States “blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants).”