WASHINGTON- President Trump threatened on Monday to destroy vital Iranian energy and water infrastructure if a peace deal is not reached, as Tehran continued to deny that negotiations were taking place and said it was preparing for a ground invasion following the arrival of thousands of US troops to the region.
If a ceasefire deal is not reached quickly, the president said in a social media post, “We will conclude our lovely 'stay' in Iran by blowing up and completely destroying all of its power plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalination plants!).”
The threats came just hours after the president insisted Sunday night that diplomatic efforts would “likely” lead to a deal soon, and that Iran had allowed 20 more oil cargo ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as a “sign of respect.”
Trump said the United States is in “serious discussions with A NEW, MORE REASONABLE REGIME in Iran,” but offered no details.
Iran, however, continued to pour cold water on the negotiations on Monday when Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei dismissed the Trump administration's terms as “unrealistic, unreasonable and excessive.”
“I don't know how many people in the United States take the claims of American diplomacy seriously. Our mission is clear, unlike the other side, which constantly changes its position,” he said in comments carried by Iran's semi-official Tasnim News agency.
Baghaei said there have been no direct negotiations, only messages through intermediaries stating that the United States wants to arrange a conference.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a news conference Monday that “the American people are smart enough” not to take Iranian officials “at their word” when they say there are no negotiations with the United States.
Leavitt said the Trump administration is negotiating with Iranian leaders who “seem more reasonable behind the scenes” than the regime's previous leaders, who were killed by strikes launched by the United States and Israel.
“This is another historic opportunity for Iran to do the right thing to get rid of its nuclear ambitions and reach a deal with this president,” he said. “Or, again, they will see the serious consequences of the United States military.”
Leavitt added that Trump is “not afraid” to use the full force of the US military to ensure victory in the Middle East. He said this after being asked why the president was threatening to intentionally attack civilian infrastructure that could affect water and energy supplies, a move that could constitute a war crime under international law.
“Of course, this administration and the United States military will always act within the confines of the law, but with respect to achieving the full goal of Operation Epic Fury, President Trump will continue to press ahead unabated,” he said.
As the war continues and Arab countries are caught up in the conflict, Leavitt told reporters, the president is open to those countries helping pay for the costs associated with the Iran war.
“I won’t get ahead of myself on that,” he said. “But it's certainly an idea I know he has and something I think you'll hear from him in the future.”
On Saturday, the USS Tripoli, a naval warship, arrived in the Middle East with about 3,500 sailors and Marines and a transport of fighter jets. Earlier this month, the San Diego-based USS Boxer and two warships of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit departed Camp Pendleton to join the troop buildup in the region.
The deployments have made Iranian diplomatic envoys even more doubtful that American peace efforts are sincere.
“The enemy publicly sends messages of negotiation and dialogue while secretly planning a ground offensive. [They] They are nothing more than a cover to hide preparations for a ground invasion,” Iran's top lawmaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said in a statement on Sunday.
He added that Iranian forces were awaiting the arrival of US troops on the ground to “set them on fire” and “forever punish their regional partners,” according to state media.
As officials in Washington and Tehran take increasingly tougher lines, neighboring countries are desperate for a truce.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi pleaded with Trump to stop the war during a speech at an Egyptian energy conference on Monday.
“I say to President Trump: no one can stop the war in our Gulf region except you,” Sisi said.
“Please, Mr. President, please. Help us stop the war. You are capable of doing it.”
Egypt, although not directly involved in the war, has had to deal with its repercussions on energy, fertilizer and food prices, not to mention disruptions to the shipping revenue Cairo receives through the Suez Canal.
“Rich countries could absorb this, but for middle-income and fragile economies, it could have a very, very severe impact on their stability,” Sisi said, noting that predictions that oil would hit $200 a barrel “were not an exaggeration.”
Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979, in which Israel returned territory it seized during the 1967 war. Although the agreement is deeply unpopular among most Egyptians, it has held up despite rising tensions during Israel's campaign against Hamas.
In December, the two nations formally announced a $35 billion deal that would expand Israel's gas exports to Egypt. But the war with Iran has disrupted supplies, tripling the cost of imports, according to Egyptian officials.
Last week, the government ordered energy-saving measures for a period of one month, including the early closure of most commercial establishments, as well as reductions in street lighting and allowances for government vehicles.
Jordan, another U.S. regional ally also suffering from energy shortages, took similar steps, banning air conditioning in government offices and private use of government vehicles.
Despite talk of negotiations, the fighting showed little sign of abating.
Trump's call for peace followed a new round of US and Israeli airstrikes against Iran on Monday. Tehran retaliated by attacking a major water and energy facility in Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said they intercepted incoming Iranian missiles.
Two UN peacekeepers were killed on Monday when an “explosion of unknown origin” hit their vehicle near the village of Bani Hayyan in southern Lebanon.
The deaths mark the second fatal incident in two days involving the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, a peacekeeping force established in 1978 and which later oversaw the cessation of hostilities between the two nations.
UNIFIL also reported that a peacekeeper was killed on Sunday night when a shell exploded at a UNIFIL position.
“We do not know the origin of the projectile. We have launched an investigation to determine all the circumstances,” a UNIFIL statement said on Monday.
Meanwhile, Israel continued bombing Lebanon, hitting areas near the capital and in the south of the country. One attack targeted a Lebanese army checkpoint and killed one soldier, the Lebanese army said. Lebanese authorities said Monday that the death toll since hostilities broke out between Hezbollah and Israel earlier this month continues to rise.
The Israeli military said one of its soldiers was killed in a Hezbollah anti-tank missile attack in southern Lebanon, which also wounded four other soldiers. Six soldiers have been killed since Israel resumed its campaign in Lebanon.
Hezbollah rockets also killed two civilians, according to Israeli health authorities.
Israel's fire and rescue service said a fuel tanker and a building at the oil refinery in the northern city of Haifa were hit by debris from an intercepted missile, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper Times of Israel.
It was unclear whether the missile was launched by Iran, the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah or Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Deaths from the conflict continue to rise: 1,900 people died in Iran, more than 1,200 in Lebanon, 19 in Israel and 13 American soldiers. Millions of people have been displaced from their homes in Iran and Lebanon.
Ceballos and Quinton reported from Washington, Bulos from Beirut.
