The quote is chilling. Even for Donald Trump’s standards, known for this kind of controversial statement. “An entire civilization will disappear tonight, never to rise again,” asserted the U.S. president on his social network, Truth Social, this Tuesday, April 7, referring to Iran. This threat (somewhat tempered in the rest of the message) should be carried out if Tehran does not meet Washington’s demands before 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7 (Wednesday, 2:00 a.m. in France), when Trump’s ultimatum expires.
For a reminder, this was first addressed to Iran on March 26. It was set to expire on April 6, but the White House tenant ultimately gave Iranian leaders an extra day to meet his requests, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Eight bridges targeted by Israel
So, this April 7 was marked by the fear of a major escalation in the war in the Middle East, which could even see the United States deliberately targeting Iranian civilian infrastructure. Indeed, before the deadline tonight, bombings targeting Iranian roads and bridges took place today. However, they were carried out by Israel.
The information was reported by Ha’Aretz in its live coverage, the Tel Aviv media reporting the statements of Benjamin Netanyahu. “We are crushing the Iranian terrorist regime with increasing force. Yesterday, we destroyed transport planes and dozens of helicopters. Today, we attacked the railways and bridges used by the Revolutionary Guards,” stated the Israeli Prime Minister on April 7. Eight bridges were reportedly targeted, according to information revealed by the Israeli military, even though the Israeli army made a point to mention that their attacks were not intended to harm the civilian population.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the United States targeted the Kharg Islands in the Arabian Gulf, and according to information from The Washington Post, which comes from anonymous sources, “the strikes hit military targets, including runways and bunkers, but not the oil infrastructure of the islands.” This detail is crucial, as Kharg is a strategic point in the Iranian oil industry, with about 90% of Iran’s crude exports passing through there. Until now, the islands had been spared from American bombings.
This military action continues the logic that has dominated Washington’s strikes so far, aiming to weaken the Islamic Republic militarily. But what will happen tonight if Tehran (as it appears according to the latest revelations) does not respond positively to the White House’s requests? Seemingly confirming Trump’s statements, J.D. Vance stated on Tuesday that “the Iranians must know that we have tools in our arsenal that we have not yet decided to use,” reported from London by Middle East Eye. Then, the Vice President of the United States declared that “the President of the United States can decide to use them, and he will if the Iranians do not change their behavior.”
These statements even raised the possibility of the United States using nuclear weapons. However, this option was promptly ruled out on the White House’s X account, explaining that “nothing Vance said suggests that.”
