President Donald Trump confirmed to Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier on Tuesday that “8 p.m. is happening” – referring to a massive attack on Iran if no deal is reached by then.
“I just got off the phone with the president, and he called, and I said, listen, if you were to put odds on it, what are the odds that this is going to end up being a negotiated deal? He said he wasn’t going to put the odds on, but he said, 8 p.m. is happening,” Baier reported.
“That’s what he said. He said, if we get to that point, there is going to be an attack like they have never seen. Now he’s sticking to that at this point. Now he said, if negotiations move forward today and there is something concrete, that could change. But at this hour, he didn’t want to put odds on it, but he said it is moving forward with the plans that we have. That’s a huge deal. And obviously we all think that it’s a thing that he’s putting out there to say, don’t do this. He says he doesn’t want to do it, but he is at this hour sticking to it and saying it might be likely if they don’t come to the table,” Baier added.
Iran reportedly cut off all direct communication with the U.S. after Trump’s shocking post to Truth Social vowing to destroy Iran’s “whole civilization” if the country does not reach a deal with him by Tuesday night, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Journal’s Alexander Ward added, however, that “talks with cease-fire mediators continue, Middle Eastern officials said. The move has temporarily complicated efforts to make a deal by Trump’s 8 p.m. deadline Tuesday but hasn’t ended the talks, the officials said.”
Trump sparked anger and concern around the globe on Tuesday morning with his post, which read, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!”
WATCH:
Vice President JD Vance said that Iran has “two pathways” it can take to end the war. President Donald Trump’s 12-hour deadline is coming up on Tuesday for the regime to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face strikes on its bridges and power plants.
Vance, who was speaking in Hungary, also said he is praying that the US is on “God’s side” in its efforts to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
“There are two pathways that this thing is ultimately going to end. First of all, the United States has largely accomplished its military objectives,” Vance said. “There are still some things that we’d like to do, for example, on Iranian ability to manufacture weapons, that we’d like to do a little bit more work on militarily. But fundamentally, the military objectives of the United States have been completed.”
“I think there really are two pathways, and I’m oversimplifying this a little bit, but I think pathway one is where the Iranians decide they’re going to be a normal country. They’re not going to fund terrorism anymore. They’re going to be part of the world system of commerce and exchange,” Vance continued. “And that’s going to mean much better things for them economically. It’s going to mean better things for the peace and safety of the world. It’s going to mean a lot of good things for a lot of people all over the planet. That’s option A.”
“Option B is that the Iranians don’t come to the table and they stay committed to terrorism, to terrorizing their neighbors, not just Israel but of course their Arab neighbors too. Then the economic situation in Iran is going to continue to be very, very bad. And frankly, it will probably get worse,” the vice president said.
“The president also has been very clear that while the Iranians are trying to exact as much economic cost through the Strait of Hormuz, the United States has the ability to extract much greater economic costs on Iran than Iran has an ability to extract costs on us or on our friends in the world,” Vance also said. “So I hope that they’re smart. The president has set a deadline for about 12 hours from now, and the United States, we’re going to find out. But there’s going to be a lot of negotiation between now and then, and I’m hopeful that it gets to a good resolution.”
