NEED TO KNOW

• Trump told ABC News: "If it happens, it happens. And if it doesn't, we're blowing up the whole country" — saying "very little" would be off limits if no deal is reached in 48 hours
• This is Trump's fourth ultimatum over the Strait of Hormuz — he has extended every previous deadline, on March 21, March 23, and March 26
• The U.S. has sent Iran a 15-point peace proposal; Pakistan is mediating — but Iran publicly denies any negotiations are taking place

WASHINGTON (TDR) — President Trump told ABC News Sunday that if Iran does not reach a peace deal within 48 hours, "we're blowing up the whole country" — adding that "very little" would be off limits, including when pressed directly on whether civilian infrastructure was on the table. The remarks came in a phone interview with ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott, just hours after Trump posted an expletive-laden threat on Truth Social setting a Tuesday 8 p.m. EDT deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.

The big picture: This is not the first deadline. The New York Times documented the full timeline — Trump has issued ultimatums over the Strait of Hormuz on March 21, March 23, and March 26, extending each when talks appeared to be moving. The Tuesday deadline is his fourth. Each time, Iran has denied negotiations are taking place while the U.S. claims progress is being made.

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• On March 21, Trump threatened to obliterate Iran's power plants within 48 hours; Iran denied talks and warned of retaliation
• On March 23, Trump said talks were "very productive" and delayed strikes five days; Iran publicly denied any negotiations had taken place
• On March 26, Trump extended again — citing an Iranian request — pausing "Energy Plant destruction" by 10 days; Iran again denied the framing

Why it matters: Threatening to destroy civilian power plants — which supply electricity to schools, hospitals, and tens of millions of Iranian civilians — raises serious legal consequences. The New York Times noted directly that targeting such infrastructure "generally contravenes international humanitarian law and can often be classified as war crimes." Trump was asked directly whether civilian infrastructure was a target. His answer: "I don't want to talk about that."

• Trump also told ABC News he has not ruled out sending U.S. ground troops to Iran: "I don't think it's necessary, but I don't rule anything out"
• On Fox News earlier Sunday, Trump said he was "considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil" if no deal was reached — a statement he walked back slightly in the ABC interview
• Trump also told ABC he was "testing NATO" regarding the Strait of Hormuz — the first time he has publicly framed the alliance in the context of the Iran war

Driving the news: The U.S. has formally delivered a 15-point peace proposal to Iran, with Pakistan serving as mediator. Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have been involved in back-channel discussions. Trump told Fox he believes a deal could come by Monday. By Sunday evening, Iran had still not responded publicly to the proposal.

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• Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated flatly: "No negotiations have been held with the U.S." — and said Tehran's position on Hormuz and ceasefire conditions "remains unchanged"
• Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused Trump of using talk of negotiations to "manipulate the financial and oil markets" and escape a losing position
• Trump posted on Truth Social Sunday evening with only: "Tuesday 8:00 P.M. Eastern!" — with no further context, leaving markets and analysts scrambling to interpret whether it was a new deadline or a confirmation of the existing one

What they're saying:

• Trump to ABC News — "It should be days, not weeks. If it happens, it happens. And if it doesn't, we're blowing up the whole country." — ABC News
• Trump on civilian targets — "I don't want to talk about that." When asked if "very little" off limits included civilian infrastructure — ABC News
• Trump on Iran's condition — "There's been no country that's ever taken a pounding like that. Every day they're gonna have to build more bridges, and they're gonna have to build more power plants." — ABC News
• Iran's Foreign Ministry — "No negotiations have been held with the U.S. Tehran's stance on the Strait of Hormuz and conditions for ceasing hostilities remain unchanged." — Al Jazeera

Yes, but: There are genuine signs of back-channel activity. ABC News confirmed a 15-point U.S. peace proposal has been delivered. Al Jazeera reported that Iran acknowledged receiving "messages from some friendly nations regarding the U.S. request to end the war" — stopping short of calling it negotiations but confirming communication exists. Wall Street stocks rose and oil prices fell briefly Sunday when Trump first suggested a deal could come Monday — suggesting markets believe some version of talks is real.

Between the lines: Trump has now set and extended the same deadline four times in 15 days. Each extension came with a claim of progress — and each time, Iran publicly denied talks were happening. The pattern has a cost: the NYT notes that repeated ultimatums with no follow-through have eroded the credibility of the threats — with Iran calculating that Trump will extend again rather than strike infrastructure that would kill civilians and trigger global condemnation. At the same time, Trump is now on record — in an interview, not just a social media post — saying he will blow up the entire country. That is harder to walk back than a Truth Social threat.

What's next:

• The Tuesday 8 p.m. EDT deadline expires in approximately 51 hours — Trump must strike, extend, or announce a deal
• Trump holds a White House press conference Monday — his first formal remarks before the deadline expires
• Pakistan-mediated talks continue — whether Iran formally responds to the 15-point proposal before Tuesday will determine the outcome
• Congress has not authorized Operation Epic Fury — and has issued no formal response to Trump's threat to expand strikes to civilian infrastructure

When a president threatens to blow up an entire country on national television and Congress says nothing, who is left to set the limits?

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