Trump's Iran Ultimatum: Tonight's Deadline Looms

Former U.S. President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Iran on Tuesday, warning of severe military action if Tehran did not meet his demands by 8 p.m. EDT (1 a.m. BST) . The warning came amid rising tensions and talk of attacks on Iranian infrastructure, as the deadline approached.

Trump framed the threat in sweeping terms, saying that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if his conditions were not satisfied. The language intensified concern about the scale of potential military action and the broader consequences of a rapid escalation.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded by signaling readiness to escalate. They threatened retaliation “beyond the region” and said they could disrupt global oil and gas supplies by targeting production facilities, a step that officials warned could potentially trigger a global recession.

In Washington, the White House said the U.S. was not considering the use of nuclear weapons. The clarification followed earlier remarks from Vice President JD Vance , which had added to uncertainty about the range of options under discussion.

Trump’s direct threat against Iranian “civilization” also prompted legal and moral alarm. The comments raised concerns about potential war crimes, and Pope Leo condemned the threats as “truly unacceptable,” urging global leaders to intervene to prevent further escalation.

Diplomatic efforts were described as ongoing, with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif taking a leading role in attempts to de-escalate. Sharif asked for a two-week delay to Trump’s ultimatum to create space for diplomacy and requested that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz as a goodwill gesture.

Iran was reported to be reviewing the ceasefire proposal positively. At the same time, signs of heightened regional instability were reported as the deadline neared, including explosions in Doha, Qatar , sirens in Bahrain , and interceptor activity over the United Arab Emirates .