Trump warns 'whole civilisation will die' in Iran if ultimatum expires

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WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump warned that “a whole civilisation will die” in Iran on April 7 if the country does not heed his ultimatum to accept US war demands.

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

He did not give details but has already said the US military could bomb Iran’s bridges, power plants and other civilian infrastructure into the “stone age.”

Mr Trump has announced a deadline of midnight GMT on April 7 (8am, April 8, Singapore time) for Iran to end its de facto closing of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow, strategic waterway used to transport oil and other commodities.

On April 6, he said a temporary ceasefire proposal being circulated was insufficient.

Iran has rejected US pressure, with state media reporting that the authorities are insisting that instead of just a cease-fire it wants a full end to the war.

In his Truth Social post, Mr Trump left the door open for a last-hour agreement.

“Now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalised minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight,” he wrote.

Mr Trump said on April 6 that starting late evening in Washington on April 7, US forces would destroy “every bridge in Iran” and cripple “every power plant” in the country – something that many experts say would be a blatant war crime.

US and Israeli warplanes have been continuously bombing Iran since Feb 28 and on April 7, even before Mr Trump’s threat about ending “civilisation”, Tehran said that its crucial oil export terminal on Kharg Island was under attack. AFP