Trump Warns Iran on Strait of Hormuz Deadline

President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran on Tuesday morning via Truth Social, stating that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," as a self-imposed deadline for the country to reopen the Strait of Hormuz approached at 8 p.m. ET. The post, which emphasized Trump's reluctance but predicted the outcome, came amid an escalating five-week conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran that has already resulted in thousands of deaths.

The threat builds on Trump's prior statements, including a Monday press conference where he indicated that U.S. forces could target bridges and power plants across Iran if the regime failed to lift restrictions on the vital waterway, through which about 20 percent of global oil trade flows. The Strait, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, measures just 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, and any prolonged closure could drive up worldwide energy prices. Trump has demanded that Iran surrender its 60 percent enriched uranium stockpile, halt ballistic missile production, cease financing terrorism, and abandon nuclear weapon pursuits in exchange for halting "Operation Epic Fury," a U.S.-led...