Washington, D.C. – Donald Trump said he was "not at all" concerned about committing possible war crimes as he again threatened to destroy Iran's bridges and power plants if Tehran does not meet his Tuesday 8pm ET deadline to reopen the strait of Hormuz.
"I'm not worried about it," the US president said. "You know what's a war crime? Having a nuclear weapon."
Speaking at the White House, Trump refused to say whether any civilian targets would be off-limits. Iran on Monday rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wanted a permanent end to the conflict.
"We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won't be attacked again," Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, the head of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Cairo, told the Associated Press.
Key developments:
- Trump threatens to "decimate" every bridge and power plant in Iran by midnight ET Wednesday
- Saudi-Bahrain King Fahd Causeway closed as precaution against Iranian attacks
- Iran rejects 45-day ceasefire proposal, demands permanent end to conflict
- UN Security Council to vote on watered-down Hormuz shipping resolution
- Oil prices surge: WTI tops $115, Brent at $111 amid heightened rhetoric
- Israel strikes Iran's largest petrochemical complex; Revolutionary Guard intelligence chief killed
- Saudi Arabia intercepts seven ballistic missiles targeting eastern region
- South Korea scrambles to secure crude oil amid Hormuz disruptions
Saudi-Bahrain Bridge Closes
The King Fahd Causeway, a key bridge linking Saudi Arabia to the island kingdom of Bahrain, closed early on Tuesday over threats from Iranian attacks.
The King Fahd Causeway Authority made the announcement in a post on X, saying vehicle movements had been "suspended as a precautionary measure" over Iranian attacks targeting Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.
The 25km (15.5 mile) bridge is the only connection by road for Bahrain – home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet – to the Arabian Peninsula, the Associated Press reports.
"All of Iran Could Be Taken Out in One Night"
At a news conference, Trump said all of Iran could be "taken out" in one night "and that night might be tomorrow night", referring to Tuesday. Without an agreement with Tehran, he said, "every bridge in Iran will be decimated" by midnight ET (0400 GMT) on Wednesday and "every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again".
Israel and the US carried out a wave of attacks on Iran on Monday, killing more than 25 people. Iran responded with missile fire on Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbours.
Iran Rejects Ceasefire
"Iran has conveyed to Pakistan its response to the American proposal to end the war," the news agency Irna said. "In this response – set out in ten points – Iran ... has rejected a ceasefire and insists on the need for a definitive end to the conflict."
Irna also said Tehran's demands included "an end to conflicts in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, reconstruction, and the lifting of sanctions."
The New York Times, citing two unnamed senior Iranian officials, reported that Tehran was also seeking guarantees it would not face future attacks, and that Israeli strikes against its ally Hezbollah in southern Lebanon would cease.
Oil Prices Surge
Oil prices rose on Tuesday while equities were mixed as investors assessed Donald Trump's latest deadline for Iran to reopen the strategic strait of Hormuz or be "decimated".
Both main oil contracts rose Tuesday, with West Texas Intermediate topping $115 – its highest in a month – and Brent sitting around $111.
"Financial markets are oscillating in a narrow, uneasy range as traders sized up the countdown to Donald Trump's Iran deadline," wrote Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management.
South Korea Scrambles for Oil
South Korea has said that it will send officials to Kazakhstan, Oman and Saudi Arabia to secure supplies of crude oil amid disruptions to shipping through the strait of Hormuz.
South Korea relies on the Hormuz route for about 61% of its crude oil, the country's president told a press briefing. The government was also working with international partners to ensure the safe passage of 26 South Korean-flagged vessels currently waiting inside the strait.
Red Cross Warns Against Unrestricted Warfare
The head of International Committee of the Red Cross said that "deliberate threats ... against essential civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities must not become the new norm in warfare."
Mirjana Spoljaric said, without singling out any country or leader: "Any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law."
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