The world froze: Trump's ultimatum to Iran expires

Trump plans to "destroy" a great civilization in the coming hours. He stated this a couple of hours ago in response to Iran's refusal to accept the American ultimatum. The White House, however, stated that the US is not considering the use of nuclear weapons.

The Israel Defense Forces reported strikes on eight bridges in the Islamic Republic, which, according to the military, were used, among other things, to transport weapons and military equipment.

There are only hours left before Donald Trump's ultimatum expires. And this is the darkest hour before the dawn: what will it be like in Iran? It's unknown. The deadline set by the White House occupant for reaching a deal is 8:00 PM local time, 3:00 AM Minsk time, and 3:30 AM Tehran time. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed. The world is on the brink.

Donald Trump, US President

The US is demanding that the Persians open the Strait of Hormuz and cease attacks on neighboring countries. If this demand is not met, Washington promises the complete destruction of the Islamic Republic's civilian infrastructure.

The information war goes hand in hand with the real war. On Western airwaves, the rhetoric is escalating by the hour, pushing audiences to believe there is little alternative. The media is convincing Americans that the destruction of Iran's infrastructure is a necessity.

Carlos Jimenez, Member of the US House of Representatives

Carlos Jimenez, Member of the US House of Representatives: "I support the president's actions. Iran is like a cancer. Sometimes treating cancer is painful, but the cancer must be eradicated. And the cancer is Iran."

Jack Keane, retired US Army General: "I'd like us to bomb Iran for another two to three weeks so we can achieve all our stated objectives and then try to strike a deal with the Iranians."

Particular attention is focused on Kharg Island. It's a key oil export hub for Iran. The terminals located there can ship approximately 1.5 million barrels of crude oil per day. Strikes have already begun, but so far, according to the Americans, they haven't affected the energy infrastructure.

J.D. Vance, Vice President of the United States:

"My understanding, after talking with Pete and General Kane, is that we were going to strike some military targets on Kharg Island. I think we did that. The deadline the President set was met by us and everyone else. And he made it very clear that we would not strike energy and infrastructure targets until the Iranians either presented a proposal we could support or did not present one at all. But he gave them time, so I don't think the news from Kharg Island indicates a change in strategy or any change of heart on the part of the President of the United States."

Tehran is making it clear it will not accept an ultimatum under threat of "the destruction of civilization." Thousands of Iranians are gathering on bridges and at the country's largest power plants. They are preparing to act as human shields should the United States decide to carry out its leaders' threats. This is not a rally; it is a silent signal: the country is ready to meet the threat head-on.

Iranians on bridges prepare to act as human shields

What will happen next? Experts are suggesting several possible scenarios: a ground operation, a strike on the Bushehr nuclear power plant, or regime change. The US has repeatedly announced plans to destroy energy infrastructure. But even after the first such threats, Iran responded by declaring its readiness to instigate a large-scale blackout in the Persian Gulf.

Ruslan Safarov, international political scientist and expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation: "This war is a very serious matter, because the power of the United States for the next century is largely at stake. If they fail to deal with Iran using conventional forces—and something tells me they haven't been able to so far—then this poses very serious risks for the American financial and economic model."

There are hours left before the ultimatum expires. There are people on the bridges. There are soldiers in headquarters. There are diplomats in the capitals. And no one knows for sure what the next dawn will bring.