ToplinePresident Donald Trump on Monday threatened to destroy Iran’s power plants, oil wells, Kharg Island and other key infrastructure if a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was not reached soon.President Donald Trump claimed peace talks with Iran were progressing but warned that the lack of a deal soon would trigger the destruction of Iran's essential infrastructure like power plants and oil fields.Getty ImagesKey FactsIn a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that the U.S. was engaged in “serious discussions” with Iran and “great progress has been made,” but warned the U.S. will be “blowing up and completely obliterating” Iranian energy plants, oil wells and the crucial Kharg Island if a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz doesn’t happen soon. Trump also warned that Iran’s water desalination plants would also be targeted in such strikes.The president claimed the U.S. military has “purposefully not yet ‘touched’” Iran’s critical infrastructure, but if he follows through, this will be “retribution for our many soldiers, and others,” that the Iranian regime has killed in the past 47 years.The president’s post follows remarks on Sunday night, where he called Tehran’s leadership “very reasonable.”Trump also took credit for Iran allowing the passage of 20 more oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz this week, claiming it was a “sign of respect” for his administration.Trump: ‘maybe We Take Kharg Island, Maybe We Don’t’In an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, Trump said he was debating using U.S. troops to seize Kharg Island, a small island in the Persian Gulf that processes an estimated 90% of Iran’s oil exports. “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump said, before admitting U.S. forces would “be there for a while.” However, he also downplayed the military risk for taking the island. “I don’t think they have any defense. We could take it very easily.” In the same interview, Trump again alluded to a “regime change” in Iran that already took place, telling the FT the U.S. was negotiating with a “totally different group of people” who he described as “very professional.” The administration has previously downplayed any plans for a ground invasion, despite a Washington Post report indicating the Pentagon was planning for possible ground operations. On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters the U.S. was “ahead of schedule” for achieving their stated goals of destroying Iran’s drones and missiles, and insisted “we can achieve them without any ground troops—without any.”What Has Iran Said About Trump’s Push For Talks?While speaking to reporters on board Air Force One on Sunday, Trump addressed his administration’s 15-point peace plan and claimed Iran had agreed to “most of the points.” On Monday, however, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the peace plan’s list of demands was “largely excessive, unrealistic, and unreasonable.” The plan purportedly includes a demand that Iran give up its nuclear program. Baghaei also claimed that no direct talks have taken place between Tehran and Washington, and that all communications are conducted through intermediaries. On Sunday, Iranian leaders criticized the U.S. for allegedly planning a ground invasion and warned against escalating the war. Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said Iranian troops were “waiting” for an American ground invasion, warning they would “set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever.”Further ReadingTrump Insists Iran Regime Change Has Happened And Says He Could Seize Its Oil (Forbes)