With hours to go, Trump threatens strikes as Iran signals talks may be shut and Pakistan presses last-ditch mediation efforts
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenTeresa Elena FrontadoPublished: 10:28pm, 7 Apr 2026Updated: 10:34pm, 7 Apr 2026The United States and Iran appeared on the brink of a major escalation on Tuesday, with hours to go before a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Tehran to accept a peace agreement, as Washington stepped up its threats and Pakistan renewed mediation efforts.
Trump escalated his rhetoric against Iran, threatening on Tuesday morning to wipe out the country’s civilisation if Tehran fails to comply by 8pm EST.
“A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” said the US president on a post on Truth Social. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will ... We'll find out tonight.”
US sources also confirmed that operations in Iran continue, including targeting of military targets in Kharg Island, considered a critical oil hub.
As the deadline approached, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, said Islamabad’s efforts to broker a truce were “approaching a critical, sensitive stage”, describing the mediation as “positive and productive” in a social media post.
Yet the Iranian state-aligned newspaper Tehran Times reported on Tuesday morning that the government had “closed all diplomatic and indirect channels of communication with the United States.”
