President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran's president asked the United States for a ceasefire. Trump said he will not "consider" such a move until the "Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear"—and will continue "blasting Iran into oblivion" in the meantime.
"Iran's New Regime President, much less Radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. "We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!"
Trump's statement may have been referencing Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, who suggested in a Tuesday call with the president of the European Council that Iran would be willing to "end this conflict, provided that essential conditions are met, especially the guarantees required to prevent repetition of the aggression."
The development comes ahead of Trump's Wednesday evening address to the nation about the ongoing military campaign. While Trump has repeatedly said that he is seeking a peaceful resolution, he has also made clear that if his conditions are not met, the United States will escalate operations by obliterating Iran's oil, gas, and electricity infrastructure.
Trump suggested on Monday that the Iranian leaders his negotiating team is speaking with are "MORE REASONABLE" than the regime's previous figureheads, most notably the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
"The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately 'Open for Business,' we will conclude our lovely 'stay' in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet 'touched.'"
