Trump Threatens Iran as Ceasefire Nears End; US Delegation to Fly to Pakistan for Second Round of Peace Talks

Washington DC: With the US-Iran ceasefire set to expire on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump escalated his warnings against Tehran on Sunday, threatening to destroy every power plant and bridge in Iran even as American negotiators prepared to fly to Pakistan for a second round of peace talks.

Trump announced on social media that US negotiators would be in Islamabad on Monday, though he did not name the officials involved. He accused Iran of violating the ceasefire agreement by firing on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. "If they don't take the deal the United States is offering, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran," Trump wrote.

Iran doubled down on its vow to restrict shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as long as the US naval blockade of Iranian ports remained in force. Iranian Parliamentary Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaking on state television, called the US blockade a "naive decision made out of ignorance" but insisted Tehran had not abandoned diplomacy. "There will be no retreat in the field of diplomacy," he said, acknowledging that the gap between the two sides remained wide.

The duelling blockades spiralled into direct confrontation on Saturday when Revolutionary Guard gunboats opened fire on a tanker and a projectile struck a container vessel mid-transit. India's Foreign Ministry summoned Iran's ambassador over the firing on two India-flagged merchant ships, calling it a "serious incident." The attacks sent vessels back to holding positions in the Persian Gulf, effectively returning the strait to its pre-ceasefire status quo.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council called the US blockade a ceasefire violation and said Tehran would maintain control over all strait traffic — including designated routes, transit fees and clearance certificates — until the war fully ends.

Pakistan pushed ahead with mediation efforts, with Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar saying Islamabad was working to "bridge" differences between the two sides. Iran confirmed it had received new US proposals, delivered during a visit by Pakistan's army chief, which were under review. Pakistani authorities tightened security in Islamabad as US advance security teams were already reported on the ground.

The standoff threatens to deepen the global energy crisis, with the strait normally carrying one-fifth of the world's oil trade. The seven-week war has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, over 2,290 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel, and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states.