Trump warns a 'whole civilization will die tonight' as strike deadline nears

Donald Trump has issued an extremely alarming warning to Iranians after the country rejected America's temporary ceasefire proposal.

On Easter Sunday, Trump said he would take out Iran 'in one night' unless it reopened the Strait of Hormuz - one of the world's most important oil shipping channels - and he has now doubled down on these threats.

Since the disruption began in the waterway, oil and gas prices have surged globally, which has also had a knock-on effect on the cost of necessities such as food and medicine.

It was suggested that if Iran reopened the vital passageway that America and Israel would carry out a temporary ceasefire, but Iran rejected this proposal.

Now, Trump has voiced his threats once more.

Taking to Truth Social (as he usually does), the president penned: "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will."

Trump has doubled down on his threats to Iran (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)

He added: "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?"

The president's deadline has been set for later today (April 7) at 8pm ET.

Trump went on to write: "We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!"

Trump has extended previous deadlines but suggested this latest one was final, and the rhetoric on both sides reached a fever pitch, leaving Iranians on edge.

The POTUS has threatened to destroy all of Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran does not allow traffic to fully resume in the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil transits in peacetime.

The Strait of Hormuz has been blocked since the start of the war (Google Maps)

World leaders and experts warned that strikes as destructive as Trump threatened could constitute a war crime.

Iran’s president said 14 million people, including himself, have volunteered to fight.

While Iran cannot match the sophistication of US and Israeli weaponry or their dominance in the air, its chokehold on the strait is causing major damage to the world economy and raising the pressure on Trump both at home and abroad to find a way out of the standoff.

Energy prices have soared not only in the US, but across the globe. As a result of this, some countries have introduced a four-day working week to try and limit the amount of oil being used.

Pakistan was one of the first countries to bring in the change, and the Philippines has since followed suit.

Elsewhere, Sri Lanka has declared Wednesdays to be a vacation day for public institutions like schools, universities, and public offices.