▲ U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 6, 2026, in this photo released by the Associated Press. (Yonhap)

Trump-Iran war

Trump warns 'whole civilization will die tonight' as Iran deal deadline approaches

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, April 7 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that a "whole civilization will die tonight," ratcheting up pressure on the Islamic Republic hours ahead of his deadline for reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Trump made the remarks in a social media post, as his deadline for Tehran to open up the strait, a crucial oil shipping route, is set for 8 p.m. Tuesday, after which he threatened to strike Iranian power plants and bridges. Shipping through the waterway has been seriously disrupted due to Iran's retaliatory strikes

"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He did not appear to rule out a last-minute deal with Iran, as he cast the new Iranian leadership as "where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail."

"Maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World," he said. "47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!"

Trump has doubled down on his threats to strike Iran's bridges and power plants, and bring the Middle East country back into the "Stone Ages," amid concerns that the strikes, if carried out, could amount to a breach of international law, which generally bans attacks on civilian infrastructure unless they are mobilized for military purposes.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military has conducted strikes on military targets on Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil hub, Reuters reported, citing a U.S. official. The strikes did not affect oil infrastructure there, the official said.

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