Trump condemned after threatening to destroy ‘whole civilisation’ unless Iran makes deal to end war
US president Donald Trump has been condemned after issuing an astonishing threat to Iran, threatening to wipe out “a whole civilisation” if Tehran fails to make a deal.
The extraordinary statement came hours before a US-imposed time limit for an agreement was expected to run out at 1am BST on Wednesday (8pm EST Tuesday), in what Trump has called his “final” of several deadlines on the Middle East war.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” he wrote in the post on Truth Social on Tuesday.
“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will. 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?”
The post has attracted widespread backlash from opponents and supporters of the president alike, with Trump accused of effectively threatening genocide on a country with 93 million people.
Amid “heated discussions” on Tuesday, the president was reported to be considering the Pakistani prime minister’s proposal for a two-week ceasefire with Iran.
Meanwhile, top House Democrats issued a joint statement asking for Congress to be brought back into session to end the war.
A spokesperson for British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer stressed the UK government had been clear “this isn’t our war” and “our position is very much focused on de-escalation”.
However, when asked whether the UK believed threatened attacks on Iran’s bridges and power stations would breach international law, the prime minister’s official spokesperson added: “I’m not going to comment or give a running commentary on our allies’ operations.”
The war in the Middle East has now entered its sixth week and oil prices have continued to surge amid the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes.
Trump has insisted the Strait – effectively closed by Iran after he launched attacks with Israel at the end of February – is reopened.
In the meantime, the US has again ramped up its military operations in the region.
More than 50 military targets were hit on Iran’s key oil export hub Kharg Island on Tuesday, according to the Wall Street Journal, after Trump’s threats to annihilate and “decimate” the country’s civilian infrastructure, including all of its energy facilities. Kharg Island handles over 90 per cent of Iran’s oil exports.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that if the US crossed “red lines”, Tehran’s response would stretch “beyond the region” and that the US and partners would see oil and gas supplies disrupted for years to come.
