US President Donald Trump said the United States was in talks with what he called a “new, and more reasonable” Iranian regime to end US military operations, but warned that if no deal was reached soon and the Strait of Hormuz was not reopened, Washington would destroy Iran’s power plants, oil wells and Kharg Island. The threat came as Egyptian President El-Sisi urged Trump to end the conflict, warning the war could trigger a global energy and food crisis.
Trump’s latest statement sharpened both the military threat and the political message from Washington, pairing talk of negotiations with explicit warnings of a broader strike on Iran’s energy and civilian infrastructure. It also marked a shift in tone by referring to a “new” regime in Iran.
The remarks raise the stakes around Kharg Island and the Strait of Hormuz, two pillars of Iran’s oil trade and global energy flows. They also give El-Sisi’s warning greater urgency, as Cairo has framed the war as a risk not only to regional security but to oil supplies, fertilizer production and food security worldwide.
Iranian oil is America’s top target
Trump’s threat put Kharg Island at the center of the confrontation. On Sunday evening, Trump said seizing Iranian oil was his preferred option and indicated he was also considering taking control of Kharg Island in the Arabian Gulf, the main route for Iran’s oil exports.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump said the United States “has a lot of options,” adding that any move to control the island could require a prolonged US military presence.
Kharg Island handles about 90% of Iran’s crude exports, much of it bound for China, making it a prime target in any escalation.
US forces had already struck sites on the island on March 13 in a series of attacks that Central Command said hit dozens of military targets.
US media reports say decision-makers in Washington are weighing two main scenarios: seizing the island or launching broad strikes to destroy its oil infrastructure.
According to unnamed officials cited by CNN, taking control of Kharg could deal a major blow to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and help bring the war to an end.
Iran, however, has reinforced its military presence on the island in recent weeks, deploying additional forces and air defense systems in anticipation of a possible US operation, CNN cited sources familiar with intelligence reports as saying.
Tehran denies Trump’s claims
Even as he signaled possible escalation, Trump also spoke of progress in negotiations, saying Iran had agreed to most items on a list of 15 US demands conveyed through mediators, including Pakistan.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Iran had agreed to “most of” the US proposal to end the war, adding that more demands could still be introduced, and claiming Tehran had sent oil shipments to the United States “as a sign of respect.”
The demands include a pledge by Iran not to acquire a nuclear weapon, surrendering its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, accepting limits on its defense capabilities, curbing the role of allied groups in the region, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran quickly rejected the US account. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei described the proposals as “excessive and unreasonable” and said Iran had not entered into direct negotiations with Washington.
Baghaei said at a news conference that contacts had taken place through mediators and that Iran was engaging “responsibly” with diplomacy, while accusing the United States of constantly shifting its position.
He also said Tehran had not taken part in regional initiatives hosted by Pakistan and involving Egypt and Turkey to reduce tensions, although it welcomed any effort to stop the war.
El-Sisi calls for an end to the war
As Washington floated wider military options, Egypt’s El-Sisi warned that prolonging the conflict could trigger “the biggest energy crisis in modern history.”
Speaking at the Egypt Energy Show 2026 conference in Cairo on Monday, El-Sisi said the US-Israeli war against Iran had exposed the world to two simultaneous shocks: the risk of energy supply shortages and a price surge that could send oil to an unprecedented $200 a barrel.
He linked the expansion of military operations to attacks on energy facilities, warning that this would deepen the crisis and increase pressure on the global economy, particularly given markets’ reliance on stable Gulf supplies.
El-Sisi said the fallout could also extend beyond energy to food security, with fertilizer production at risk from supply-chain disruptions in the Middle East, raising the prospect of a broader global crisis that would hit the most vulnerable countries hardest.
In a direct message to Trump, El-Sisi called for action to stop the war, saying its continuation carried “serious repercussions” for the region and the world. He said ending the conflict had become urgent given Trump’s ability to influence events.
These developments come as the US-Israeli war against Iran, which began at the end of February, continues amid growing fears that the confrontation could slide into further escalation, especially with US scenarios that include taking control of oil facilities.
