Trump Says a 'Whole Civilization Will Die Tonight' If Iran Misses Deal Deadline

President Donald Trump escalated his threat to target Iran’s infrastructure, warning a "whole civilization" will die, "never to be brought back again," if Iranian officials miss his deadline to make a deal to end the war.

“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” he said Tuesday morning. “However, now that we have complete and total regime change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen.”

Emphasizing the Tuesday night deadline, Trump referred to the upcoming crossroads as “one of most important moments in the long and complex history of the world.” Speaking of the Iranian regime, he added that “47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end.”

Vice President J.D. Vance, during a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, with whom he is currently visiting, said the U.S. is confident it will get a response from Iran before the 8 p.m. E.T. deadline passes.

As the cut-off point looms, Tel Aviv and Tehran continued to trade strikes on Tuesday.

The U.S. has also once again struck military targets on Kharg Island, Iran’s key oil terminal, according to a White House official. Trump previously threatened to escalate the war by “blowing up and completely obliterating” the Island. 

With the fighting showing no signs of abating, the Israeli military urged Iranians to “refrain from using and traveling by train throughout Iran” between 8:20 a.m. and 9 p.m., local time on Tuesday. “Your presence on trains and near railway lines endangers your life,” said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), via its Farsi-language social media account.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has reportedly issued a warning of its own, threatening to “deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas in the region for years” if Trump follows through on his infrastructure threats.

“We have not and will not be the initiators of attacks on civilian targets; but we will not hesitate to retaliate against the vile aggression against civilian facilities,” the statement read, according to state media.

Iran rejected a cease-fire draft on Monday and submitted its own counterproposal.

"They made a proposal, and it's a significant proposal. It's a significant step. It's not good enough," Trump said during a White House Easter event.

Trump also expanded on his plan to target Iran, should a deal not be reached on time.

"We have a plan because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again," Trump told reporters Monday. "I mean, complete demolition by 12 o'clock. And it will happen over a period of four hours, if we want to."

Urgent calls for an end to the Iran war

The President's threat that a "whole civilization will die" has prompted strong rebuke and concern among Democratic lawmakers.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Republicans to "put patriotic duty over party and stop the madness."

Congress "must immediately end this reckless war of choice in Iran before Donald Trump plunges us into World War III," he argued.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also condemned the President’s remarks.

“Each Republican who refuses to join us in voting against this wanton war of choice owns every consequence of whatever the hell this is,” said Schumer.

Trump dismisses war crime concerns

Some lawmakers have argued that Trump's proposed targeting of Iran's infrastructure could constitute war crimes.

“Trump is calling reporters today to tell them he is going to commit mass war crimes next week. GOP leaders need to stop him,” said Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut over the weekend. “Never mind that blowing up bridges and power plants and killing innocent Iranians won't reopen the Strait.”

He argued: “It's also a clear war crime.”

Sen. Schumer said Trump is “threatening possible war crimes and alienating allies.”

“Trump is openly threatening to commit blatant war crimes—putting our service members and national security at enormous risk,” argued Democratic Rep. Maxine Dexter of Oregon. “He is prioritizing paying for a senseless war over caring for working people.”

Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, the daughter of Iranian immigrants, said “Trump is escalating a devastating, illegal war, threatening massive war crimes and targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran.”

“I’m not worried about it,” Trump told reporters Monday, when asked what he would say to people who might be concerned that bombing civilian power plants could be a war crime.

“You know what's a war crime? Having a nuclear weapon. Allowing a sick country with demented leadership [to] have a nuclear weapon. That's a war crime,” he argued.

Oil prices surge as Trump doubles down on infrastructure threat

Oil prices rose sharply Tuesday following Trump’s renewed threats, with Brent crude topping $115 per barrel.

The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passage between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman through which around a fifth of global oil supply flows, remains largely blocked.

Iran has used the waterway as leverage since the initial U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, limiting vessel movement and placing pressure on global energy markets.

The Trump Administration has offered mixed messaging on the importance of unblocking the Strait. 

In late March, the White House signaled a willingness to end the Iran war without reopening the waterway.

But on Monday, Trump described it as a “very big priority” after he issued a direct warning to Iran over the weekend, telling the country to “open the f--kin’ Strait” or they’ll be “living in hell.”