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Trump says 'whole civilisation will die tonight' if Iran ultimatum expires

FILE: US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, 6 April 2026
FILE: US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, 6 April 2026 Copyright  AP Photo
Copyright AP Photo
By Gavin Blackburn & Aleksandar Brezar
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Previously, the US president has warned that unless Tehran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, the US would unleash what he called the "complete demolition" of Iran's critical infrastructure overnight on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump issued another threat to Tehran on Tuesday, stating "a whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again".

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"I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

"However, now that we have complete and total regime change, where different, smarter, and less radicalised minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, who knows?"

"We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the world," Trump said. "47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God bless the great people of Iran," he concluded.

Trump had threatened to target Iranian infrastructure unless Tehran agreed a deal to end the war on Tuesday, saying he was "considering blowing everything up and taking over the oil."

A screenshot of a post on US President Donald Trump's Truth Social account, 7 April, 2026
A screenshot of a post on US President Donald Trump's Truth Social account, 7 April, 2026 @realDonaldTrump

Meanwhile, Iranian officials have claimed that at least two bridges, railway infrastructure and a key highway were hit and damaged on Tuesday as part of a wave of US-Israeli air strikes on infrastructure targets.

A bridge near the holy city of Qom and another carrying a railway line in the central city of Kashan were struck, according to regional officials quoted by state-run media.

Two people were killed, and three were injured in Kashan, senior regional security official Akbar Salehi said, according to Iran's IRNA news agency. The death toll could not be independently verified.

A key highway in northern Iran connecting the main northern city of Tabriz with Tehran via Zanjan was also closed after a hit around 90 kilometres outside of Tabriz, an official told IRNA.

A Telegram channel of Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said the strike hit an overpass bridge.

The Mizan news agency also reported a strike on railway tracks in Karaj, outside Tehran, with images showing Red Crescent rescuers carrying an injured man on a stretcher.

Firemen and first responders work at the site of a strike that destroyed half of the Khorasaniha Synagogue and nearby residential buildings in Tehran, 7 April, 2026
Firemen and first responders work at the site of a strike that destroyed half of the Khorasaniha Synagogue and nearby residential buildings in Tehran, 7 April, 2026 AP Photo

All trains to and from Iran's second-largest city Mashhad were cancelled on Tuesday following a warning from Israel against using the railways.

According to the ISNA news agency, there was a power outage in parts of the cities of Karaj and Fardis outside Tehran after power transmission lines and a power substation were knocked out of service by airstrikes.

As reports of the damage emerged from Iran, the Israeli military said it had completed a broad wave of strikes targeting "infrastructure sites," without providing details of what the sites were.

Reports of attack on Kharg

Iran's Mehr news agency also reported strikes on the strategic Kharg Island, which is central to the country’s oil exports and economy.

About 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports leave the country via the island, much of it destined for China and other Asian markets.

Kharg Island is relatively small — about 8 kilometres long and 4–5 kilometres wide — but it hosts extensive infrastructure, including storage tanks, pipelines and offshore loading terminals.

A man walks along the shore as oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan, 11 March, 2026
A man walks along the shore as oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan, 11 March, 2026 AP Photo

The island's terminals can load roughly 1.3–1.6 million barrels of crude per day, helped by deep-water access that allows very large crude carriers to dock.

Iran shows no sign of backing down as a US deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz looms, defying threats by US President Donald Trump to "decimate" the country's civilian infrastructure.

Trump has warned that unless Tehran allows free passage through the strategic oil chokepoint, the US will unleash what he called the "complete demolition" of Iran's critical infrastructure overnight on Wednesday.

"We have a plan ... 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 said.

Israel’s military issued a warning in Farsi to Iranians on Tuesday morning, advising them to avoid using trains until at least 9 pm local time.

"Your presence puts your life at risk," the warning posted on X read.

Tehran has shut off internet access in Iran for weeks, making it difficult for citizens to see these warnings.

However, Farsi-language satellite news networks abroad report them, allowing the information to make its way back into the Islamic Republic.

Additional sources • AFP

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