Negotiators were reportedly racing to secure a ceasefire to ward off the threat of US strikes on Iranian infrastructure.

Axios noted that while US, Iranian, and regional mediators were battling US President Donald Trump’s Tuesday deadline, the chances for agreement were low; Trump told The Wall Street Journal that Tehran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz or “they’re going to lose every power plant.”

Yet he has, since the war began, repeatedly issued threats only to extend his deadlines, making it unclear how serious his latest ultimatum was. Iran’s ex-foreign minister wrote in Foreign Affairs that Tehran could accept a deal in which it limited its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, alongside a nonaggression pact with Washington.