'Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time': Trump's post sparks speculation about possible announcement on Iran

ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump on Sunday posted on social media "Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time" without elaboration, sparking speculation about a possible announcement on Iran.

The post on his social media platform Truth Social, which indicates 0000GMT on Wednesday, came after he told the Axios news outlet that a deal with Tehran could be reached by Tuesday.

"There's a good chance tomorrow," Trump told Fox News earlier, and later told Axios an agreement could come by Tuesday. He has also warned that he was considering "blowing everything up" and "taking over the oil" if Iran failed to move fast enough.

Iran has not responded to Trump's claims that a deal may be near.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump sharpened his ultimatum, warning that if Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday evening, it would lose every power plant and every other facility across the country.

He remained vague on when the war would end, saying only that he would let the public know "pretty soon." He also claimed that rebuilding Iran after the US-Israeli strikes would take 20 years — "if they're lucky."

The cryptic post follows Trump's earlier announcement pausing strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure until Monday evening in US time, which he claimed was made at Iran's request. The new post appears to push that window by one day, though no official explanation was given.

The US and Israel have conducted strikes on Iran since Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.