Trump's Iran ultimatum: When does it expire and how serious is his threat to 'blow up everything'?
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US president warns a civilisation could be about to disappear if the regime in Tehran does not respond to his ultimatum after six weeks of war by Tuesday night. What are the possible scenarios? Euronews explains:
US President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that a “whole civilisation” could die tonight to “never to be brought back again” if Iran fails to respond to his ultimatum. He has threatened to bomb bridges and energy infrastructure, sending the country “back to the Stone Age”, unless Tehran reopens the Strait of Hormuz and agrees to a deal.
Euronews explains what's at stake as the conflict enters a dramatic phase.
Is Trump serious?
Trump has issued ultimatums before, only to back down at the last minute.
On 21 March, he threatened to “obliterate” Iranian oil installations if Tehran did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
When that deadline expired, however, Trump did not order strikes.
Instead, he announced a five-day pause in air strikes and said he had held “very good and productive conversations” with Iran, revealing for the first time indirect contacts with Tehran.
Trump has a tendency to shift policy positions, but he has now publicly and repeatedly committed to a stance that may be difficult to reverse without losing face.
This leaves him facing what is likely his most consequential decision since the start of the war.
“We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated … where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again,” he said.
Critics, however, argue that this is not a credible military option capable of forcing Iran into submission.
“Even significant strikes on Iran’s infrastructure would not produce capitulation,” Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli intelligence operative, wrote on X.
“The assumption that pressure alone can break Tehran is not strategy, it is wishful thinking.”
How did Iran react?
Iran flatly rejected Trump’s ultimatum. Tehran’s response was defiant and escalatory rather than conciliatory. Officials said the ultimatum was unacceptable and emphasised Iran’s right to control the waterway.
General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi of Iran’s central military command described Trump’s threat as a “helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action”. Echoing the US president’s rhetoric, he added: “the gates of hell will open for you”.
A spokesperson for Iran’s military headquarters said: “The illusion of defeating the Islamic Republic of Iran will become a quagmire into which [the US] will sink.”
Before Trump’s ultimatum, Iran had repeatedly demanded broader conditions beyond reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including an end to hostilities, the lifting of sanctions and security guarantees
What has the EU said so far?
European Council President Antonio Costa said Monday that "any targeting of civilian infrastructure, namely energy facilities, is illegal and unacceptable" drawing parallels to the war in Ukraine where Russia has pounded its electricity grid.
Costa said the EU applies the same standards across all conflicts and said the people of Iran are the main victims on an escalation that risks costing the lives of more civilians.
For the rest, most EU leaders have remained on the sidelines and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has not yet commented, although she is expected to participate at an awards ceremony on Tuesday evening in her native Germany.
Would a massive bombing campaign reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
So far, Trump’s threats appear to have made Iran more uncompromising and, at least rhetorically, prepared to retaliate forcefully.
As Trump himself has noted, Iran could use mines, drones and missiles launched from small boats to keep the Strait unsafe. Even after a large-scale bombing campaign targeting key infrastructure, shipping may not resume quickly.
If Tehran were to reopen the Strait in exchange for an end to US bombing, “it would mean a return to the pre-war status quo, falling far short not just of Trump’s shifting demands but even the prospects under negotiation before Washington started the war,” the Washington-based think tank Defense Priorities said in a research note to Euronews.
However, it would represent the best outcome for US interests, while more ambitious goals such as regime change or ending Iran’s nuclear programme “are only loosely related”, the note added.
Iran is also unlikely to leave the Strait fully open in exchange for a US ceasefire alone. Israel would probably also need to halt its strikes, which could require Trump to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — something he has previously been reluctant to do.
Is last-minute diplomacy still possible?
The chances appear slim. Iranian officials have so far declined to accept even a temporary ceasefire in exchange for reopening the Strait.
However, mediators from Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey continue to push for at least a short-term ceasefire and reopening deal
Whether these efforts will succeed remains unclear.
At Monday’s press conference, Trump did not sound particularly optimistic, pointing to the frustration of his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Yet he also spoke of “significant” and imminent prospects for peace, saying negotiations were “going fine” and that there was “an active, willing participant on the other side” negotiating “in good faith”.
Asked whether he was escalating the war or winding it down, Trump replied: “I can’t tell you.”
Some observers question his willingness to pursue diplomacy at all, describing his approach as “the obliteration of diplomacy”.
His “disregard for diplomacy was evident in the weeks preceding the 28 February start of the war,” said David Cortright, a visiting scholar at Cornell University’s Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies.
“Discussions were underway, with significant Iranian concessions on the table. Mediators and close observers believed progress was being made, but the US and Israel proceeded with military action,” he added.
What would be the domestic fallout in the US?
The domestic fallout could be severe and multi-layered, according to early polling and political signals.
Public opinion, already negative, could turn more sharply against the war. A recent PBS News/NPR/Marist poll found that 56% of Americans oppose US military action in Iran, while 54% disapprove of Trump’s handling of the issue.
A major escalation could also lead to more US casualties and economic strain, creating political risks for Trump and the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections.
For many Americans, the most immediate impact is rising fuel prices. The average price at the pump has exceeded $4 per gallon for the first time in nearly four years.
Trump, who made lower petrol prices a key campaign pledge in 2024, has described the increase as temporary.
However, analysts warn that sustained high prices could reduce household spending and increase the risk of broader economic damage.
Politically, Republican leaders have largely backed Trump so far, but divisions are beginning to emerge within his MAGA base, which tends to favour a strong stance but is wary of foreign interventions.
Some religious leaders have also criticised the strikes. US-born Pope Leo said God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war” and urged Trump to end the conflict.
Meanwhile, Trump ally-turned-critic Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Republican congresswoman, criticised the president’s rhetoric.
“Our president is not a Christian, and his words and actions should not be supported by Christians,” she wrote on X.
Trump threatens to wipe out Iranian civilization in social media post
07.04.2026, DPA
Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa
US President Donald Trump has threatened to wipe out Iranian civilization in a post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday as a deadline he set for Iran to make a deal with him looms.
"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," Trump posted. "I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will."
"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?
"We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World."
The United States and Israel launched their latest war on Iran on February 28. Trump's ultimatum for Iran to make a deal or face massive attacks on its energy infrastructure is set to expire on Tuesday evening (0000 GMT).
France opposes US-Israeli attacks on Iranian infrastructure
07.04.2026, DPA
Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa
The attacks on Iran's civil infrastructure threatened by US President Donald Trump would constitute a violation of international law and lead to escalation and retaliation, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot warned on Tuesday.
Barrot was speaking to broadcaster France Info hours before a deadline set by Trump for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face a massive bombardment expires.
"If we all speak out against attacks on civil and energy infrastructure, then we do so primarily because they are ruled out according to the rules of war and international law, and secondly because in the case of the war in Iran they will undoubtedly lead to a new phase of escalation and retaliatory measures," Barrot said.
This would plunge the region and the global economy into a vicious circle, he predicted.
"We are currently experiencing a rapid rise in fuel prices. If the energy infrastructure in Iran is attacked, retaliatory measures by the Iranian regime can be counted on that would further exacerbate the already worrying situation," Barrot added.
France and other European powers have largely stayed out of the conflict, which was launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.
Trump on Monday threatened the "complete demolition" of Iran's civilian infrastructure, setting a deadline of 8 pm on Tuesday (0000 GMT Wednesday) for the Iranian leadership to make a deal.
Ahead of the deadline, Iranian media reported nationwide attacks on the country's transport network on Tuesday, with railway bridges and motorways hit.
Don't commit war crimes in Iran, EU urges Trump as deadline looms
Donald Trump's threat to strike Iran's bridges and power plants has raised the prospect of war crimes. The EU insists all sides should respect international law and exercise "maximum restraint".
The European Union has urged United States President Donald Trump to refrain from bombing civilian infrastructure in Iran — which could be considered war crimes under international law — and exercise "maximum restraint" to achieve a negotiated settlement.
"Diplomacy is the answer," Anitta Hipper, the European Commission's spokesperson for foreign affairs, said on Tuesday in response to an Euronews question.
"From our side, we reject any threats also to attacks regarding critical civilian infrastructure. Such attacks risk impacting millions of people across the Middle East and beyond, and also may lead to further dangerous escalation."
The priority, Hipper said, should be "maximum restraint, the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and full respect for international law and international humanitarian law by all parties".
The Commission's plea comes after Trump drastically ratcheted up his rhetoric over the past few days, threatening to "blow up" bridges and power plants across Iran and send it "back to the Stone Ages" if the country fails to meet his deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage that used to carry a fifth of the world's oil and gas supplies. Only a handful of ships have crossed it since the start of the US-Israeli strikes on 28 February.
So far, the strongest reaction to Trump's threats has come from António Costa, the president of the European Council, who warned on Monday that striking civilian infrastructure, like energy facilities, would be "illegal and unacceptable".
"This applies to Russia's war in Ukraine and it applies everywhere. The Iranian civilian population is the main victim of the Iranian regime. It would also be the main victim of a widening of the military campaign," Costa said.
"Escalation will not achieve a ceasefire and peace. Only negotiations will, namely the ongoing efforts led by regional partners," he added.
Although the US barely gets any of its energy from the Middle East, the near-total blockage of the waterway has pushed the price of Brent crude past $110 per barrel, roiling financial markets and prompting fears of stagflation.
Trump has imposed a deadline on Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday, 8 pm Eastern Time (ET), which for Brussels will be 2 am on Wednesday.
"The entire country can be taken out in one night – and that night might be tomorrow night," Trump said on Monday. "They're going to have no bridges. They're going to have no power plants. Stone Ages."
Meanwhile, Iran has rejected a proposed 45-day ceasefire and is instead calling for a permanent end to the war, according to the state news agency IRNA.
Trump doubles down
The prohibition on attacking civilian infrastructure is one of the bedrock principles of international law and has been codified in the Hague and Geneva Conventions.
The concept of civilian infrastructure is understood in a broad sense to cover objects not used for military purposes, such as residential buildings, hospitals, schools, churches, power plants, electricity grids, bridges, railways and cell towers.
Asked if he was concerned about the potential commission of war crimes at the hands of American forces, Trump said: "No, not at all. I am not. I hope I don't have to do it.
It is unclear if the US president will stick to his cut-off date of Tuesday, 8 pm ET or change his mind at the last minute, as he has frequently done in the past.
On Tuesday morning, as Americans headed to work, he doubled down on his threat.
"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will," he wrote on Truth Social. "47 years of extortion, corruption, and death will finally end."
Europeans are watching the escalation with alarm, fearing that any attacks on power plants may further embolden Tehran and deepen the energy crisis.
Since the start of hostilities, European leaders have struggled to make sense of Trump's ever-shifting messaging on the war, which has included broadsides against NATO allies for refusing to send their warships to the Strait of Hormuz.
Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron issued a pointed rebuke, reflecting a growing sense of exasperation among capitals.
"When you want to be serious, you don't say every day the opposite of what you said the day before," Macron said during a visit to South Korea. "And maybe you shouldn't be speaking every day. You should just let things quieten down.
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