President Donald Trump said he would decide very soon whether to “blow up” Tehran or make a peace deal, following Tehran’s claim that it had received an official U.S. response to its proposal to end the war. Trump told reporters that a decision must be made, adding that the situation would end “very soon, one way or another.” When asked how he would negotiate with Iranian officials, he dismissed the idea as “crazy” and suggested that the alternative might be military action.
Iranian officials responded by presenting the U.S. reply to President Masoud Pezeshkian at a cabinet meeting. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the government would “make every effort to bring the agreement to fruition” and would stand up for the rights of the Iranian people, insisting that the deal should be based on a win‑win strategy. Meanwhile, the state‑run IRNA reported that Iran executed two men charged with violence during nationwide protests that began in December, with the Supreme Court upholding their death sentences.
The war has also taken a heavy toll on Iran’s economy. The rial fell to a record low, trading at more than 2.5 million rials to the U.S. dollar, a decline that comes just 27 days after the currency hit a previous low of 2.2 million. Oil prices remained largely unchanged in early Asia trade, with Brent crude at $98.15 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate at $90.35, as investors weighed the prospects for a U.S.–Iran deal and Middle East crude exports.
Other regional actors have also weighed in. The United Kingdom said it was working closely with the U.S. on a suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford, while the United Arab Emirates warned that hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could have severe repercussions. Yemen’s foreign minister warned of a growing “dangerous Red Sea Axis” involving Houthi rebels, and Lebanon’s foreign minister called for Hezbollah’s disarmament and an end to Israeli strikes. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince pledged a decisive response to Houthi attacks, and Bahrain joined a U.S. drone task force targeting Iran.
