Yes, it has come to this--a real and dystopian report from The New York Times.
President Trump today threatened to wipe out a “whole civilization,” and the United States hit military targets on Iran’s main oil export hub, as he ramped up pressure on Tehran to fully open the Strait of Hormuz or potentially face a wave of strikes on critical infrastructure in the coming hours.
Mr. Trump issued the grave warning in a post on social media as a new round of attacks was launched across the Middle East. The U.S. attacked Kharg Island, the export hub, Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks and Israel’s military warned Iranians to avoid traveling by train.
The increasingly incendiary threats and the intense fighting reinforced the fragile state of diplomacy, with no public signs of a diplomatic breakthrough to end the war. “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” the American president wrote, adding that he hoped “maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen” to avoid the attacks. “We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World.”
Mr. Trump has set a deadline of Tuesday 8 p.m. Eastern time for Iran to end its effective blockade of the strait, saying that otherwise every bridge in the country would be “decimated,” and every power plant would be “out of business.” Striking civilian infrastructure could amount to a war crime under international law. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for the Iranian military, has said that Iran would retaliate “crushingly and extensively” if its civilian infrastructure were attacked.
Some Iranians were bracing for the possibility of more strikes, while others were responding to the American threats with a mix of indifference, defiance, and bewilderment. “I think Trump is under a lot of pressure and that he has lost his mind,” said Lili, a Tehran resident who asked not to use her full name out of concern for repercussions for speaking to foreign media.
She and her family were not planning to flee the city, she added, because there was nowhere to go. The spate of strikes on Tuesday added to the anxiety and uncertainty, with the Israeli military saying it had launched airstrikes on Iranian government infrastructure. At least three people were killed and three others were injured when a strike hit a railway bridge in the central city of Kashan, Iranian state media reported.
Iranian media outlets also reported attacks on bridges in other parts of the country. Iran targeted energy facilities in Persian Gulf countries allied with the United States. Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry said that debris from an intercepted missile had fallen near energy facilities in the east and that the damage was being assessed. The United Arab Emirates’ defense ministry said missiles and drones had been fired from Iran.
Negotiations between Iran and the United States have been mediated by Pakistan and other regional allies, which have proposed a 45-day cease-fire. Mr. Trump said the plan was a “significant step” but that it was “not good enough,” and Iran rejected any proposal for a truce.
Today, Iran delivered a separate 10-point plan to end the war to the United States and Israel through Pakistan, according to Iranian state media, but it appeared unlikely to resolve major differences between the warring parties ahead of Mr. Trump’s deadline.
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