Trump delivers new threats, escalating effort to pressure Iran.

Internally displaced people and fishermen gather by the seaside in the evening at the Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Center in Beirut, March 22, 2026. Lebanon ordered the expulsion of Iran’s newly appointed ambassador on Tuesday, a rare rebuke of Tehran over its backing of Hezbollah. (Diego Ibarra Sánchez/The New York Times)

By ERICA L. GREEN, ADAM RASGON, NATAN ODENHEIMER and RONEN BERGMAN

President Donald Trump on Thursday ratcheted up pressure on Iran to accept a proposal to end the war, warning them that otherwise “we’ll just keep blowing them away.”

The president issued his threat at a Cabinet meeting hours after Israel said it had killed a naval commander who had been leading Iran’s effort to close a vital oil shipping route. At the meeting, Trump and a top adviser offered differing assessments of Iran’s openness to negotiations. Iran has publicly rejected the overtures, though privately it has signaled some willingness.

“They’ll tell you, ‘We’re not negotiating,’” Trump said. “Of course, they’re negotiating. They’ve been obliterated.”

Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for Trump, offered a more cautious interpretation. He said that he and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were still trying to convince the Iranians “that this is the inflection point, with no good alternatives for them other than more death and destruction.”

Trump told reporters he didn’t yet know whether he would extend a deadline he gave to Iran to fully open the Strait of Hormuz, the vital oil route, by Friday or the United States would “obliterate” power stations in Iran. Trump said it would depend on what his negotiators, Witkoff and Kushner, reported back.

Pakistan’s foreign minister confirmed Thursday that his country has been facilitating back-channel communications between the United States and Iran, including relaying a 15-point U.S. proposal aimed at ending the war. But Pakistani officials did not say whether they would soon host any high-level foreign officials, appearing to play down the prospect of formal talks between the two sides after four weeks of war.

Although Trump insists Iran is willing to negotiate because it is close to defeat, missile launches by Iran at Israel continued unabated Thursday.

Here’s what else we’re covering:

— Commander killed: Israel said Thursday that the Iranian naval commander it killed, Alireza Tangsiri, played a pivotal role in shutting down the Strait of Hormuz. Iran did not immediately comment on the claim.

— Hardening demands: Diplomats said Trump’s 15-point peace plan calls for what would amount to a complete termination of Iran’s nuclear program and strict limits on its missile arsenal. Iran said in comments carried on state television Wednesday that Iran would not end its attacks unless the United States paid war reparations and recognized Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz.

— New attacks: The Israeli military said Thursday that it had struck targets in Isfahan, in central Iran. Iran also launched strikes against U.S. allies and sites in the Persian Gulf. In Abu Dhabi, falling debris from a missile interception killed two people, authorities in the United Arab Emirates said.

— Death tolls: The Human Rights Activists News Agency has reported that more than 1,440 civilians have been killed in Iran. Almost 1,100 people in Lebanon have been killed, authorities there said Wednesday. At least 15 people were killed in Iranian attacks on Israel, officials said. The American death toll stands at 13 service members.