(SeaPRwire) – President Donald Trump intensified his threats to target Iran’s infrastructure, warning that a “whole civilization” will perish—”never to be restored again”—if Iranian officials fail to meet his deadline for a deal to end the war.
“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” he said Tuesday morning. “However, now that we have complete and total regime change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen.”
Stressing the Tuesday night deadline, Trump described the upcoming turning point as “one of the most important moments in the long and intricate history of the world.” When talking about the Iranian regime, he added that “47 years of extortion, corruption, and death will finally end.”
Vice President J.D. Vance, at a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán—whom he is currently visiting—stated that the U.S. is confident it will receive a response from Iran before the 8 p.m. ET deadline expires.
As the deadline approaches, Tel Aviv and Tehran continued to exchange attacks on Tuesday.
The U.S. has also struck military targets on Kharg Island—Iran’s main oil terminal—once more, per a White House official. Trump had earlier threatened to escalate the war by “blowing up and completely obliterating” the Island.
As the fighting shows no signs of slowing down, the Israeli military advised Iranians to “refrain from using and traveling by train throughout Iran” between 8:20 a.m. and 9 p.m. local time on Tuesday. “Your presence on trains and near railway lines endangers your life,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated through its Farsi-language social media channels.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is said to have issued its own warning, threatening to “deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas in the region for years” if Trump carries out his infrastructure threats.
“We have not and will not be the initiators of attacks on civilian targets; but we will not hesitate to retaliate against the vile aggression against civilian facilities,” the statement said, per state media.
Iran turned down a cease-fire draft on Monday and presented its own counterproposal.
“They made a proposal, and it’s a significant proposal. It’s a significant step. It’s not good enough,” Trump stated during a White House Easter gathering.
Trump also elaborated on his plan to target Iran if a deal isn’t reached by the deadline.
“We have a plan because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again,” Trump told reporters Monday. “I mean, complete demolition by 12 o’clock. And it will happen over a period of four hours, if we want to.”
Trump brushes off war crime worries
Trump’s threats to target infrastructure have sparked concern and criticism from lawmakers, with some warning that such actions could amount to war crimes.
“Trump is calling reporters today to tell them he is going to commit mass war crimes next week. GOP leaders need to stop him,” said Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut over the weekend. “Never mind that blowing up bridges and power plants and killing innocent Iranians won’t reopen the Strait.”
He contended: “It’s also a clear war crime.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that Trump is “threatening possible war crimes and alienating allies.” He then criticized the President’s Tuesday morning “whole civilization” warning.
“Each Republican who refuses to join us in voting against this wanton war of choice owns every consequence of whatever the hell this is,” said Schumer.
“Trump is openly threatening to commit blatant war crimes—putting our service members and national security at enormous risk,” asserted Democratic Rep. Maxine Dexter of Oregon. “He is prioritizing funding a senseless war over supporting working people.”
Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona—whose parents are Iranian immigrants—stated, “Trump is escalating a devastating, illegal war, threatening massive war crimes and targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran.”
“I’m not worried about it,” Trump told reporters Monday in response to a question about what he would say to those concerned that bombing civilian power plants could be a war crime.
“You know what’s a war crime? Having a nuclear weapon. Allowing a sick country with demented leadership [to] have a nuclear weapon. That’s a war crime,” he argued.
Oil prices jump as Trump stands firm on infrastructure threats
Oil prices climbed sharply Tuesday after Trump’s renewed threats, with Brent crude exceeding $115 per barrel.
The Strait of Hormuz—a vital waterway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes—remains mostly closed.
Since the initial U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, Iran has used the waterway as leverage, restricting ship movement and putting pressure on global energy markets.
The Trump administration has given conflicting messages about the importance of unblocking the Strait.
In late March, the White House indicated it was open to ending the Iran war without reopening the waterway.
But on Monday, Trump called it a “very big priority” after issuing a direct warning to Iran over the weekend, telling the country to “open the f–kin’ Strait” or they would be “living in hell.”
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