Overview
- President Trump told Fox News anchor Bret Baier by phone Tuesday that “8 p.m. is happening,” warning of an attack “like they have not seen” if no deal is reached.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said only the president knows what will happen after the deadline, declining to outline next steps or options.
- Following Trump’s Truth Social post warning “a whole civilization will die tonight,” the Wall Street Journal reported Iran cut direct contacts with the U.S., though mediators said limited talks continued.
- The demand centers on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that carries much of the world’s seaborne oil, and whose constraints have already shaken energy and shipping routes.
- Protests were organized in U.S. cities and some public figures urged using the 25th Amendment, while legal analysts warned that hitting power plants and bridges could kill civilians and violate the laws of war.