President Donald Trump, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, left, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, conduct a news conference in the White House briefing room about the war in Iran on Monday, April 6, 2026. Photo: VCG

With the US' ultimatum on Iran approaches on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump renewed his threat to Iran during an 83-minute press conference on Monday, warning that Iran could be "taken out" if it did not meet his newly updated deadline to reach a deal, but also cited effort to negotiate, media reported. Yet there has been little indication that Iran is ready to agree with the US' ultimatum.

"The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night," Trump said, referring to the 8 pm EDT Tuesday (Wednesday 8am Beijing time) deadline he set for Iran to meet US demands or face the destruction of its national infrastructure, Reuters reported.

Trump issued a profanity-laden ultimatum on Sunday, warning Iran it would be "living in Hell" if the Strait of Hormuz isn't reopened by Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET, declaring it "Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one," according to CNBC.

He vowed to destroy Iranian power plants and bridges, brushing off concerns that such actions could be war crimes or alienate Iran's 93 million people. But he claimed the US has an active and willing partner in Iran for negotiations, adding that he hopes the US doesn't have to bomb Iran's infrastructure.

During the press conference at the White House on Monday, Trump also slammed North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members for refusing to secure the Strait of Hormuz, according to KBS.

Trump went on to say that NATO members had "actually gone out of their way not to help."

The alliance, Trump said, "is a paper tiger."

The US president said, "It's not just NATO. You know who else didn't help us? South Korea didn't help us." He repeated the same criticism against Australia and Japan.

Yet as the final hours tick down, there has been little indication that Iran is ready to agree to Trump's ultimatum. "We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won't be attacked again," Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of Iran's diplomatic mission in Cairo, told The Associated Press. He said Iran no longer trusts the Trump administration after the US bombed the Islamic Republic twice during previous rounds of talks.

Based on past patterns, when confronted with mounting pressure, the US has at times escalated tensions, while at other moments abruptly shifted course with tactical adjustments. This makes Washington's next move highly unpredictable if a deal is failed again, Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

However, current dynamics suggest that Tehran is unlikely to make meaningful concessions, while Washington also faces significant constraints in altering its own position. Coupled with Israel's role in shaping the conflict, this latest "ultimatum" is likely to unfold in a more dramatic and uncertain manner, said Li.

Li noted that the conflict is unlikely to end on Washington's terms simply because of Trump's ultimatum, but is more likely to become protracted. Such a scenario would be politically disastrous for the US, as a prolonged conflict would amplify pressure and deepen divisions at home.

The BBC also noted that Iran is unlikely to agree to Trump's ultimatum. They've rejected a temporary ceasefire and issued their own list of demands, which a US official described as "maximalist".

This places the American president in a delicate position. If there is no agreement, Trump could extend the deadline - for the fourth time in the past three weeks, according to the BBC.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Trump on April 5 against agreeing to a ceasefire with Iran at this stage in the war, a senior Israeli official told Channel 12 news, according to Times of Israel.

On Sunday, Netanyahu ostensibly called Trump to express concern that a ceasefire carries significant risks, according to the official.

Trump, for his part, told Netanyahu that a truce remains possible if US demands are met by Iran, but stressed that he would not give up on his demand that Tehran hand over all of its enriched uranium and agree not to resume enrichment, the official said.

The divergence in strategic objectives between the US and Israel suggests their actions are not fully aligned. It also indicates that Washington may, to some extent, be influenced by Israel's policy tempo, giving the conflict characteristics that resemble a proxy dynamic, said Li.

In this context, the US appears to be in a relatively constrained position, with some decisions blurring its own core interests by increasingly tying them to Israel's strategic goals. Such an approach could not only undermine US interests but also heighten the risk of escalation, increase uncertainty, and make de-escalation more difficult, leaving the trajectory of the conflict more unpredictable, Li noted.