WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump once again exhorted Iran to make a deal by his Tuesday deadline, saying a “whole civilization will die tonight” if an agreement is not reached to end the conflict.
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World.”
Following Trump’s statement, Vice President JD Vance said the US had largely accomplished its military objectives in Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, which is mediating between Iran and the United States, said that efforts to end the war were approaching a “critical” stage.
“Positive and productive endeavours in Good Will and Good Office to stop the war is approaching a critical, sensitive stage,” Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam wrote on X, without giving details.
The message came hours before a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping or face attacks on key infrastructure.
Later on Tuesday, a senior Iranian source told Reuters that Iran had rejected any temporary ceasefire with the US, demanding any negotiations be based on a permanent peace deal.
Iran’s ambassador to Kuwait urged Gulf states on Tuesday to find a way to avert a “tragedy”, as US President Donald Trump’s evening deadline loomed for Iran to agree a deal or face strikes on civilian infrastructure.
“We hope that the countries in the region will use all their diplomatic and political capabilities to prevent such a tragedy from befalling the region,” Mohammad Toutounji said.
Meanwhile Iran and Israel traded attacks on Tuesday as Tehran defiantly refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept a ceasefire deal on the eve of a deadline set by US President Donald Trump to agree to his demands or get “taken out.”
Iran previously rejected a US proposal brokered by Pakistan for an immediate ceasefire and the lifting of its effective blockade of the strait, followed by talks on a broader peace settlement within 15 to 20 days, according to a source aware of the plan.
The Iranian response consisted of 10 clauses, including an end to conflicts in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, lifting of sanctions, and reconstruction, official IRNA news agency reported.
On Monday, Trump said “the entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night.” He vowed to destroy Iranian power plants and infrastructure if Tehran refused to agree before the deadline.
Without a deal, Trump said “every bridge in Iran will be decimated” by midnight EDT (0400 GMT) on Wednesday and “every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again.”
Iran sets preconditions
Iran set preconditions for talks on a lasting peace with the United States, a senior official told Reuters on Tuesday, including an immediate halt to strikes, guarantees that attacks will not be repeated, and compensation for damage.
The official said Tehran rejects any ceasefire with the U.S. that is only temporary.
He added that a permanent peace deal should allow Iran to demand fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which would vary depending on the type of ship, its cargo, and prevailing conditions.
Qatar warns region ‘close’ to point where war escalation cannot be controlled
Qatar on Tuesday warned thw war in the Middle East was close to a threshold where it cannot be controlled after US President Donald Trump set a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“We have been warning since 2023 that escalation left unchecked will get us into a situation where it cannot be controlled and we are very close to that point and this is why we have been urging all parties to find a resolution to find a way of ending this war before it’s too late,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said.
