Trump Threatens Iran Destruction, Faces Removal Calls

President Donald Trump threatened devastating military action against Iran on Tuesday, warning that the country risked the destruction of its entire civilization if it failed to meet U.S. demands, prompting sharp rebukes from lawmakers across the political spectrum who called for his removal from office. The exchange unfolded amid heightened tensions over Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for global oil transit, and came hours before Trump announced a conditional two-week ceasefire.

In a morning post on Truth Social, Trump stated that he had been preparing to target Iranian power plants and bridges, declaring, "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will." He tied the threat to demands for "complete and total regime change" in Iran, suggesting the deadline was 8 p.m. Eastern time. The remarks appeared aimed at pressuring Tehran to reopen the strait, which it had blocked in recent weeks, disrupting about 20 percent of the world's energy supplies.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., responded swiftly on X, labeling the statement a "threat of genocide" that "merits removal...