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United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to extinguish an entire civilisation, as American and Israeli forces intensified strikes on Iranian territory and a self-imposed deadline for the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz expired with no deal in sight.
In a social media post that drew immediate global condemnation, Mr Trump declared: “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” adding that he hoped “maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen” to avert the threatened strikes.
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“We will find out tonight,” the American leader wrote, “one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World.”
After the post, the US hit military targets on Iran’s main oil export hub, as it ramped up pressure on Tehran to fully open the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating strikes on critical infrastructure within hours.
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In response, Iran has stopped its participation in diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the conflict, according to the New York Times report. Those talks, through mediators from Pakistan and other countries, had yielded little but escalating rhetoric and demands from both sides.
Those negotiations had produced a 45-day ceasefire proposal, which Mr Trump publicly rejected as “not good enough.”
Before withdrawing, Iran had transmitted a separate 10-point peace plan to the United States and Israel through Pakistani intermediaries, according to Iranian state media. The plan received no public acknowledgement from Washington.
Escalating threats against civilian infrastructure
PREMIUM TIMES reports that Mr Trump’s Tuesday ultimatum was not his first. On Monday, the president had warned at a news conference that every bridge in Iran would be “decimated” and every power plant “out of business” if Tehran did not end its effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway between Iran and Oman through which as much as one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
Targeting civilian infrastructure is prohibited under international law and may constitute a war crime.
Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for the Iranian military, warned that Iran would retaliate “crushingly and extensively” should its civilian facilities be attacked.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) escalated the rhetoric further, threatening to respond “outside the region” and to deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas “for many years” if Washington crosses what it described as “red lines.”
Strikes on Bridges; Casualties Reported
The Israeli military announced it had carried out airstrikes on eight bridges across Iran, issuing a warning to Iranian civilians to avoid rail travel until 9 p.m. local time.
Iranian state media reported that at least three people were killed when a railway bridge was struck in Kashan, a central Iranian city.
In a retaliatory move, Iran targeted energy facilities in Persian Gulf states allied with the United States.
Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry confirmed that debris from an intercepted missile had landed near energy installations in the country’s eastern region, with damage assessments ongoing. The United Arab Emirates also confirmed that missiles and drones had been launched from Iranian territory toward its soil.
Inside Iran, the population was said to be divided in its response to the mounting threats. Some residents were bracing for further strikes; others reacted with a mixture of indifference, defiance, and disbelief.
READ ALSO: US/Israel-Iran War (Day 39): Iran defiant on Trump’s deadline day
Across Iran on Tuesday, groups of citizens formed human chains along bridges and around power plants in apparent acts of civilian protection. Videos and photographs published by state and local media documented the scenes, though it remained unclear whether the demonstrations were spontaneous or government-organised.
UN Security Council Vetoes Resolution
At the United Nations, efforts to defuse the crisis through multilateral diplomacy also failed.
The UN Security Council failed to adopt a resolution put forward by Bahrain calling on member states to coordinate action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Russia and China, both permanent members of the council, vetoed the measure.
Eleven members voted in favour; two voted against. Pakistan, which has been serving as a mediator between Washington and Tehran, was among the two countries that abstained.
