US President Donald Trump on Sunday night appeared to extend by 24 hours his deadline for Iran to make a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating infrastructure attacks.This development comes in the backdrop of Trump’s remarks to a US media channel saying there was a “good chance” of reaching a deal with Iran on Monday.Iran, however, has rejected demands for opening the Strait of Hormuz without a framework and has sought compensation for damage to civilian infrastructure caused during the war.In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!”. This would be about 5:30 am in India on Wednesday. Trump did not give a context to his post, but US media houses and news agencies are estimating it as an extension of the earlier deadline which was set to expire on Monday.Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, a vital route for the world’s oil and gas supplies, since the start of the US-Israeli bombing campaign on February 28.Speaking to Fox News, Trump said, “I think there is a good chance tomorrow, they are negotiating now.”This comes after his expletives-laden post. In an earlier post on Truth Social, Trump used abusive language to call on Iran to let ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and threatened to further attack Iranian energy and transport infrastructure.He said, “Tuesday will be power plant day, and bridge day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it. Open the **** Strait, you crazy ****, or you’ll be living in hell – just watch! Praise be to Allah”.Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has spoken over phone with US envoy Steve Witkoff, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and counterparts from Turkey and Pakistan.The Egyptian foreign ministry said that Abdelatty discussed “ideas and proposals to achieve the required calm” and warned of an “unprecedented explosion” in the Middle East, without elaborating on what that meant.Oman and Iran also have held deputy foreign minister-level talks on Saturday to explore options for ensuring smooth maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier, Iran had said it was working with Oman to monitor traffic in the waterway, through which about a fifth of global oil supplies pass.


