Foreign & Public Diplomacy

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at diplomatic efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war, a potential path of succession for North Korea, and NASA’s race to the lunar south pole.

‘You’ll Be Living in Hell’

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated his threat to target critical Iranian infrastructure should Iran not agree to a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday at 8 p.m. EDT. “The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump told reporters at a White House press conference.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at diplomatic efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war, a potential path of succession for North Korea, and NASA’s race to the lunar south pole.

‘You’ll Be Living in Hell’

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated his threat to target critical Iranian infrastructure should Iran not agree to a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday at 8 p.m. EDT. “The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump told reporters at a White House press conference.

His remarks followed an expletive-laden Truth Social post on Sunday in which Trump lashed out at Tehran in apparent frustration. “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” Trump wrote. “There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.” In a separate post later that day, Trump set the new deadline for Tuesday.

Yet a cease-fire agreement seems unlikely to materialize anytime soon. Over the weekend, Pakistan proposed a 45-day cease-fire deal to end the Iran war. The framework, known as the Islamabad Accord, called for an immediate truce and the reopening of Hormuz followed by 15 to 20 days of talks on a broader peace settlement.

However, Iran rejected that framework on Monday and issued its own 10-point rebuttal. Tehran’s counteroffer included a permanent end to the region’s conflicts, details on securing the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of all international sanctions on Tehran, and the provision of reconstruction for Iran.

“We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, the head of Iran’s diplomatic mission in Cairo, told The Associated Press, adding that Tehran no longer trusts the White House to abide by a cease-fire, as U.S. forces bombed Iran twice during previous rounds of negotiations.

On Sunday,........

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