Ahead of deadline, Trump warns ‘a whole civilization will die tonight’ if Iran doesn’t open Hormuz

Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, April 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, April 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Twelve hours before his 8 p.m. Eastern Time ultimatum is set to expire, US President Donald Trump says “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if Iran doesn’t agree to his demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” he writes on Truth Social. “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?”

Trump says that “we will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

In an expletive-laden post on Sunday, Trump warned that the US would attack power plants and bridges in Iran starting Tuesday evening if the Islamic Republic failed to reopen the strait.

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