Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy declared Sunday it is preparing for a “new Persian Gulf order,” vowing that the Strait of Hormuz “will never return to its former state, especially for the US and Israel” — a direct challenge to President Donald Trump, who set a Tuesday evening deadline for Iran to reopen the waterway or face strikes on its power plants and bridges.

In an expletive-laden post on Truth Social published Saturday, Trump warned that Tuesday would be “Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran.” He set the deadline at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time — a one-day extension from his previous Monday cutoff, itself the third extension of an ultimatum he first issued on March 21.

Speaking separately to Fox News, Trump raised the stakes further, saying he was considering “taking over” Iran’s oil if a deal was not reached quickly. “If they don’t make a deal and fast, I’m considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil,” he said.

In a phone interview with Israel’s Channel 12, Trump insisted that “deep negotiations” are underway and that “there is a good chance” a deal could be reached before Tuesday. But he left little ambiguity about the alternative: “If they don’t make a deal, I am blowing up everything over there.”

The negotiations are being run through two parallel tracks, according to sources briefed on the talks. One channel runs through Pakistani, Egyptian, and Turkish intermediaries. The other is more direct: text messages between senior US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Trump confirmed both men are his point men for the contacts.

Despite the activity, the talks have hit a wall in recent days. A US proposal on the table reportedly demands Iran dismantle its nuclear program, cap its ballistic missile capabilities, halt support for proxy forces, and relinquish control over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has rejected those terms outright, and is counter-demanding reparations for war damages and security guarantees against future strikes.

Iran’s position has not visibly shifted despite the heavy toll the US-Israeli campaign has inflicted since it began on February 28 — a campaign that opened with strikes killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several other senior officials. Tehran has continued launching missile and drone attacks against Israel and US allies in the Gulf, and has warned that any strike on its power infrastructure will trigger devastating retaliatory hits on Gulf energy facilities, including power plants and water desalination infrastructure that Gulf states depend on.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, a hardliner who is nonetheless part of the negotiating process, responded to Trump’s threats on X in English: “Your reckless moves are dragging the United States into a living hell for every single family, and our whole region is going to burn because you insist on following Netanyahu’s commands.”

“Make no mistake: You won’t gain anything through war crimes,” he added.

While the public exchanges escalated, quieter diplomacy was underway. Oman’s state news agency reported Sunday that Muscat and Tehran held deputy minister-level talks to discuss “possible options” for ensuring smooth passage through the Strait of Hormuz, with experts from both sides presenting proposals.

Oman has historically served as a discreet back-channel between Washington and Tehran, and its involvement signals that at least some parties are still searching for a face-saving formula before Tuesday’s deadline arrives.

The strait itself — roughly 33 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman — carries approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. Iran and Oman share territorial waters in the passage, but it is considered an international waterway under maritime law. Iran’s ability to choke it off has given Tehran one of its most powerful remaining levers in the conflict.

Trump also disclosed Sunday, apparently for the first time publicly, that the US attempted to arm Iranian anti-government protesters earlier this year by routing weapons through Kurdish militia forces — an effort that failed when, in Trump’s telling, the Kurds kept the guns.

The admission sheds new light on Washington’s posture during the protests that erupted in late December, triggered by the collapse of Iran’s currency and escalating into a broader challenge to the regime by mid-January. Trump had publicly urged Iranians to take to the streets and told them “help is on its way.” The regime suppressed the unrest violently; the full death toll remains disputed, with opposition groups claiming tens of thousands were killed.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)