President Donald Trump threatened Iran with civilizational destruction as the US attacked military targets on the country’s key oil export hub, ramping up pressure on Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday deadline or face strikes on critical infrastructure.Iran responded by cutting off diplomatic talks over a ceasefire proposal, the New York Times reported, citing three Iranian officials it didn’t identify. Those talks have been conducted through third-party mediators and have yet to produce a plan acceptable to both sides.The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lead-up to Trump’s Tuesday 8 p.m. deadline has been marked by military escalation and increasingly bellicose threats from the US president. Earlier in the day, American forces struck sites on Kharg Island similar to those that were hit in a round of attacks last month, but didn’t target energy infrastructure, according to US officials.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump posted on social media. “Maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight.”
That threat raised the specter of a massive new bombing campaign far exceeding anything the US and Israel have carried out over the course of a campaign that began Feb. 28.
The US leader’s latest ultimatum marks a critical juncture in the war that has killed more than 5,200 people, most of them in Iran and Lebanon, and seen energy facilities struck across the region. The president began issuing deadlines on March 21 to force Iran to reopen Hormuz, which carries roughly a fifth of seaborne oil shipments, and has repeatedly extended the timeline. He said Monday it’s “highly unlikely” he’ll do so again.
Trump said during a news conference on Monday that freedom of navigation through Hormuz must be part of any deal. He has previously threatened to destroy Iranian power plants, bridges and other infrastructure as part of his ultimatum. The United Nations has warned that indiscriminate targeting of civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime. Trump said he’s “not at all” concerned about that potential outcome.
Speaking earlier in Budapest, Vice President JD Vance said he’s confident Iran will issue a response in time. But he also hinted at a military operation that would surpass anything the US and Israel have waged so far against Iran.
“They’ve got to know we’ve got tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use,” Vance said in Hungary. “The president of the United States can decide to use them and he will decide to use them if the Iranians don’t change their course of conduct.”
The president’s bombastic language fueled more market turmoil. Oil rose in choppy trading, as investors tried to gauge whether energy infrastructure would come under attack ahead of Trump’s deadline. Brent was slightly higher near $110 a barrel while US crude for May traded above $116 a barrel.