'They're animals': Trump doubles down on threat to destroy Iran's critical infrastructure

'They're animals': Trump doubles down on threat to destroy Iran's critical infrastructure Yasmine El-Sabawi on Mon, 04/06/2026 - 17:12 The US president pushed back on suggestions this would be a war crime US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters during the 2026 Easter Egg Roll at the White House in Washington on 6 April 2026 (Nathan Howard/Reuters) Off US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his threat to "obliterate" Iran's critical infrastructure, which could include its energy, communications and water systems, if Tehran doesn't agree to his preconditions for a deal by 8pm local time in Washington on Tuesday. Thus far, Iran has rejected Trump's offers, maintaining that it still has significant leverage in the war. "We are obliterating that country, and I hate to do it, but we're obliterating [them] and they just don't want to say 'uncle'. They don't want to cry, as the expression goes, 'uncle', but they will. And if they don't, they'll have no bridges, they'll have no power plants, they'll have no anything," Trump told reporters at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday. "How would it not be a war crime?" one reporter asked, in reference to Trump's threats. "Because they killed 45,000 people in the last month," Trump responded, referring to Iran's government. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); No independent entity has been able to verify such a figure. Iran's official number is just under 4,000 for those killed in mass protests that erupted in January, including police officers. "They're animals, and we have to stop them," Trump added. "When [Iranians] don't hear bombs go off, they're upset. They want to hear bombs because they want to be free," he said of the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, now in its seventh week. The 1949 Geneva Conventions prohibit the targeting of sites that cut off the basic needs of civilians. 'Bombed the negotiating table' Iran's ambassador to Armenia, Khalil Shirgolami, said on Monday that Trump's "maximalist approach... won't work". (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "President Trump had, several times, the chance to find [a] real solution and political settlement for the nuclear issue of Iran, and at least two times he betrayed diplomacy and he betrayed the negotiating table, and he bombed the negotiation table, actually," he said on a virtual panel hosted by the Executive Intelligence Review. Trump warns 'crazy bastards' in Iran to open 'fuckin' strait' in Truth Social rant Read More » "The United States is not in a position in terms of the battlefield operation to be putting all those preconditions." Shirgolami was primarily referring to the so-called "15-point plan", which the US sent to the Iranians via Pakistani officials last month. The proposal reportedly demands a complete halt to uranium enrichment and the dismantling of Iran's missile capabilities. On Monday, a seemingly new plan tentatively dubbed the "Islamabad Accords" was shared with the two sides by Pakistan. It outlines a two-tier approach: an immediate ceasefire followed by a comprehensive agreement to be finalised within 15–20 days. "Iran is objecting to any kind of ceasefire," Shirgolami said. "We are emphasising the need for permanent cessation of the confrontation and aggression against Iran. And there should be also some sort of mechanism, joint mechanism, for operations and safe passage of Hormuz trade, and also compensation for all losses and damages that [the US and Israel] have created." Inside the White House briefing room on Monday, Trump told reporters he "can't talk about the ceasefire" but that "we have a willing participant on the other side", referring to Iran. Shirgolami, who delivered his remarks prior to the US president's press conference, deferred to the proverb, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me," which he said forms the "basis of the Iranian strategic mindset". The Americans, he added, could not be trusted. "We need to go for a new equation, in which I mean, in that equation, there will be real guarantees for non-aggression against Iran, for preserving Iran's rights, for the nuclear, peaceful energy and enrichment," he said. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 'Take the oil' If it were up to him, and he didn't have to abide by the wishes of the country he was elected to represent, Trump would simply "take the oil" from Iran, he told reporters as he took questions during the Easter Monday event. "It's there for the taking. There's not a thing they can do about it," he added. "Unfortunately, the American people would like to see us come home. If it were up to me, I'd take the oil. I'd keep the oil and would make plenty of money." Two mountain ranges, two deserts, two seas: Iran’s geography is its greatest weapon Read More » Later, inside the briefing room, when he was pressed on those comments, Trump said: "I'm a businessman first." To that end, he floated the idea of taking control of the Strait of Hormuz entirely. "Are you willing to end this conflict with Iran charging tolls for passage through the Strait?" a reporter asked. "What about us charging? I'd rather do that than let them [or] have them run [it]," Trump responded. "Why shouldn't we? We're the winner. We won. Okay? They are militarily defeated." The Strait remains operational, but using a three-tiered system: Friends of Iran can have safe, routine passage, while countries willing to pay a fee in the Chinese currency, the Yuan, can also go through. But vessels with US and Israeli ties are barred. "We have to have a deal that's acceptable to me," Trump said. "And part of that deal is going to be [that] we want free traffic of oil and everything." War on Iran Washington News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0