Trump warns Iran’s ‘whole civilization will die tonight’ unless deal struck

by Kevin Breuninger, Megan Cassella

Key Points

• President Donald Trump sharply ramped up his threats against Iran, warning “a whole civilization will die tonight” unless a deal is struck.

• Trump has angrily demanded that Tehran reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

• The latest threat came after U.S. forces overnight struck military targets on Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal, a White House official confirmed to CNBC.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday sharply ramped up his threats against Iran, warning “a whole civilization will die tonight” unless the country’s leadership strikes a deal that involves reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

The threat came after U.S. forces overnight struck military targets on Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal, a White House official confirmed to CNBC.

“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 Tuesday morning 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?” he wrote.

“We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World.”

Iran has blocked most oil transit through the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel began the war in late February. The closure has led to a historic oil supply shock, which quickly sent global energy prices soaring.

Trump has boasted that Iran’s military has been “obliterated” but acknowledged it still controls the traffic flow through the strait, giving it key leverage.

In a belligerent Easter social media post on Sunday, he threatened to destroy Iran’s bridges and power plants by Tuesday night, demanding Tehran “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell.”

He later set a deadline of 8 p.m. ET Tuesday.

The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on Trump’s latest post.