Trump says ‘whole civilization will die tonight' as Iran deal deadline looms

ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” as his deadline for reaching a ceasefire agreement with Iran is coming to an end tonight.

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end,” he added.

Earlier, Trump threatened to bomb power stations and bridges across Iran if Tehran failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and reach an agreement by Tuesday night at 8 pm EDT (0000GMT Wednesday).

Regional escalations have continued to rage since Israel and the US launched an offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian authorities have not updated the toll in recent days.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.