Iran showed no indication that it would comply with U.S. President Donald Trump’s ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by the end of Tuesday. Trump warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran failed to reach a last-minute agreement.
As the deadline approached, attacks on Iran escalated throughout the day. Iranian media reported strikes on railway and road bridges, an airport, a petrochemical plant, and power lines. Explosions were also reported on Kharg Island, the site of Iran’s key oil export terminal—an area Trump had publicly mentioned as a potential target for seizure or destruction.
In response, Iran declared it would no longer refrain from targeting the infrastructure of its Gulf neighbours. The country claimed to have carried out new strikes on a ship in the Gulf and on Saudi industrial facilities linked to U.S. firms.
Trump posted on Truth Social: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” He added that with “Complete and Total Regime Change” leading to “smarter and less radicalized minds,” there was potential for something positive to emerge, calling the moment “one of the most important in the long and complex history of the world.”
