WASHINGTON — President Trump ominously declared that “a whole civilization will die tonight” as his 8 pm ET deadline for Iran to cut a deal or else face an onslaught of attacks against its bridges and power plants.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump grimly warned on Truth Social Tuesday.
“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?” he added. “We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World.”
Trump’s latest threat to the Islamic Republic comes after he warned Iran’s leadership on Sunday to “Open the F—in’ Strait, you crazy b—–ds, or you’ll be living in Hell,” referring to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint, where over a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil flows through annually.
Since the war erupted, Iran has used drones and missiles to stoke mayhem in the strait, sending oil prices skyrocketing.
Should Iran fail to adhere to his deadline to open the strait, the president threatened to make Tuesday “Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one.”
Trump later told Axios that he made the threat after determining a deal was close, but then Iran “said they will meet us in five days,” which gave him doubts that Tehran was being serious.
Special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had been negotiating on behalf of the US.
Trump also threatened Sunday to “blow up the whole country” if an agreement isn’t reached.
Critics have warned that strikes against bridges and energy infrastructure would amount to war crimes.
“No, not at all — no, no I’m not. I hope I don’t have to do it,” Trump told reporters during a press conference Monday when asked about war crime concerns.
Last month, Trump announced a pause on strikes against Iranian energy facilities, which he repeatedly extended before settling on the 8 p.m. ET Tuesday deadline. He did so because of supposed progress during negotiations with the Iranians.
Since the Operation Epic Fury attacks commenced, Trump has been cautious about hitting power plants in Iran, due to concerns that it could inhibit the country’s ability to recover after the fighting stops. But the military hasn’t let up the pressure on Iran, despite the pause on energy-related targets.
“Today will be the largest volume of strikes since day one of this operation. Tomorrow? Even more than today,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth teased to reporters Monday.
Publicly, Iranian officials and social media accounts have mocked Trump’s deadline.
Meanwhile, the US fired off targeted strikes against Iran’s Kharg Island, where roughly 90% of its crude exports go through for processing, Axios reported.
The tiny island is core to Iran’s economy. Iran has dubbed attacks against the island a red line.
“We will do something with the infrastructure of America and its partners that will deprive America and its allies of oil and gas in the region for years,” the statement Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement.
“We have not and will not be the initiator of attacks on civilian targets, but we will not hesitate to retaliate against vile attacks on civilian facilities.”
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