Trump's Carrot and Stick

"We are engaging in serious discussions with a brand-new, more rational Iranian government," Trump wrote on Truth Social, emphasizing that "significant progress has been made." But he immediately followed with the caveat: if an agreement is not reached in the short term and the Strait of Hormuz is not opened immediately, the U.S. will "destroy and completely wipe out all of Iran's power plants, oil wells, and Hark Island, possibly including all seawater desalination plants."
While claiming to be "more rational," he also singled out civilian facilities for destruction. Iran is not convinced; Foreign Ministry spokesperson Bahram Ghasemi responded that Iran has not engaged in any direct negotiations with the U.S., and the U.S. side's "15-point plan" demands are "excessive and unreasonable."
In this round of international politics, even the definition of "negotiation" is fighting.