The Trump administration is pressuring Iran to reach an agreement on Strait of Hormuz shipping arrangements by end of day Tuesday or face destructive military strikes, according to Bloomberg reporting.
The ultimatum represents an escalation of pressure on Iran following months of intensive military operations and diplomatic negotiations mediated by Qatar and Oman. The administration has set a specific deadline, end of business Tuesday, for Iran to commit to shipping corridor arrangements in the strategic waterway.
Trump administration officials did not specify which Iranian concessions would be required to satisfy the agreement or what "destructive" strikes might entail. The threat follows a pattern of repeated U.S. military threats against Iran, some followed by action and others withdrawn.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry has characterized ongoing mediation efforts as reaching a "very advanced stage," though acknowledged that no direct talks between U.S. and Iranian officials have been formally scheduled. The Iran-Oman framework on Strait of Hormuz control has been cited by Qatari mediators as creating momentum toward a broader agreement.
Iran has previously conditioned any agreement on U.S. lifting of naval blockades on Persian Gulf ports and restoration of the 14-point Islamabad MOU, terms the Trump administration has not confirmed accepting.
In an interview with CNBC today, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said:
We've seen President Trump last week, threaten [to conduct] what would have been one of the largest military campaigns or the largest military campaign since World War II, against the Iranians. And now because of that, we are in talks with the Iranians, and I think there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict. And that's because their Air Force is wiped out, their Navy is wiped out, substantial portion of their missiles are wiped out. More importantly, their missile production capability is wiped out.
The deadline pressure comes as both sides report ongoing negotiations through intermediaries but have not achieved direct engagement between senior officials.
