WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump warned that a “whole civilization will die” on Tuesday night if Iran does not meet his deadline to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions as diplomatic talks to end the war remain underway.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Trump wrote Tuesday morning on Truth Social. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”
The extraordinary threat signaled Trump’s willingness to authorize U.S. military strikes on Iranian infrastructure — including bridges and power plants — if the United States and Tehran are unable to reach a ceasefire deal by a Trump-imposed deadline of 8 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.
TRUMP HAS a history of issuing deadlines in diplomatic standoffs, only to quietly walk them back when they pass without resolution. But Trump’s warning on Tuesday stood apart as it invoked apocalyptic language that goes well beyond his previous ultimatums.
A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, Esmail Baghaei, wrote on X that the “power of a ‘CIVILIZED’ nation’s culture, logic, and faith in its righteous cause will undoubtedly prevail over the logic of brute force.”
“A nation that has every faith in the righteousness of its path shall harness all its capacities and capabilities to safeguard its right and legitimate interests,” Baghaei wrote with the hashtag #IranWillWin.
The threat came a day after Trump indicated that a ceasefire proposal communicated by mediators in the Middle East ahead of the deadline was insufficient. He called the offer “not good enough,” but acknowledged it as a “significant step” in negotiations.
Vice President JD Vance said during a visit in Hungary on Tuesday that negotiations were ongoing, adding that he remained “hopeful that it gets to a good resolution.”
“I hope they make the right response because what we really want is we want a world where oil and gas is flowing freely, where people can afford to heat their homes and cool their homes, where people can afford to transport themselves to work,” Vance said. “That’s not going to happen if Iranians are engaging in acts of economic terrorism.”
Vance added that the U.S. military still has “tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to choose,” but that could change if Iranians “don’t change their course of conduct.”
MORE THAN a dozen Democratic lawmakers this week began calling for the 25th Amendment to be invoked to remove Trump from office, arguing that his threats amount to “genocide” and “war crimes.” Some raised concerns about the president’s mental fitness.
“Donald Trump has lost his mind and his threats to wipe out the Iranian people should be taken seriously,” Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, wrote on X. “He’s out of control and his Cabinet and those around him must be loyal to the constitution and invoke the 25th amendment. He must be removed.”
Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-San Diego, pointing to Trump’s threat to kill “a whole civilization,” called on the Joint Chiefs of Staff to “disregard any such military orders that violate federal and international law.”
Ceasefire negotiations
Trump has declined to provide details on the ceasefire negotiations on Monday, but he has made clear that a core part of the negotiations hinges on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passes daily.
On Tuesday morning, Iranian leaders remained defiant ahead of the looming deadline.
