Trump says ‘whole civilisation will die’ in threat to Iran, IRGC says will hit beyond region

[0:00] A whole civilization will die tonight unless an agreement is reached to end the war. [0:06] That's the warning from U.S. President Donald Trump to Iran. [0:09] Tehran remains defiant, declaring that restraint is over. [0:13] It's vowed to retaliate against U.S. targets, its partners, and disrupt oil and gas supplies for years to come. [0:20] As the deadline looms for Tehran to agree on a deal, the U.S. and Israel have launched an extensive bombing campaign. [0:27] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel destroyed dozens of aircraft on Tuesday [0:31] and struck railway lines and bridges used by the Revolutionary Guards. [0:36] The strategic island of Kharg has also been targeted. [0:39] It's been described as the beating heart of Iran's oil empire. [0:43] The U.S. says the strike sent military installations on the island. [0:46] Qatar is warning there are no winners in this war. [0:50] The foreign ministry says that the region has reached a point where things could spiral out of control. [0:57] We have been warning since 2020. [0:59] That escalation left unchecked will get us into a situation where it cannot be controlled. [1:05] And we are very close to that point. [1:06] And this is why we have been urging all parties to find a resolution out of this, [1:13] to find a way of ending this war before it spirals out of control. [1:17] Right now, I don't think Qatar can offer any answers to your questions. [1:20] The only thing we can do is to say that all of us in the region have always had a very clear position around this. [1:27] The infrictions on our sovereignty. [1:29] By Iran cannot be explained or justified in any way. [1:34] The continuation of this war in this way will only mean more costs for the people of the region, [1:40] for the international peace and security, for international economy, for international energy markets. [1:45] And there are no winners in the continuation of this war. [1:49] There are only losers. [1:50] And the net of losers is expanding every day as a result of the ramifications of the economic situation. [1:58] Well, as you can see, we're live. [1:59] We're live in the United Nations, Dubai, Tehran and the White House in Washington, D.C. [2:04] That's where we begin with our White House correspondent, Kimberly Halkert. [2:07] And, Kimberly, let's take a look at Donald Trump's truth social warning before we proceed. [2:12] A whole civilization will die tonight, a threat to Iran, unless it reaches a deal on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. [2:19] But the U.S. president added that something revolutionary wonderful can happen. [2:23] Who knows? [2:24] We will find out tonight before his deadline of OGMT. [2:30] On Wednesday. [2:32] Kimberly, so is the mindset of the U.S. president, the U.S. commander in chief, has it been made up? [2:40] Or do we see any kind of room to maneuver right now? [2:45] Well, it appears that there is an air of inevitability in the U.S. president's post. [2:50] And speaking to a military expert in just the last couple of hours, one thing that I did learn that is troubling is the fact that if the U.S. president intends to take action immediately, [3:02] at 8 p.m. Washington, D.C. time, as he suggested he would, given the fact that he on Monday said by midnight D.C. time, the mission would be accomplished, allegedly to wipe out an entire civilization, that means the decision has essentially already been made. [3:21] Because in order to carry out such military strikes, you would need to already be putting that into the works, into the hours previous to 8 p.m. [3:31] So it appears. [3:32] That the U.S. president may be with this post presenting the option that this is inevitable. [3:41] Now, the U.S. president in his post did say he doesn't want that to happen, but it probably will, is just further reinforcement of this concerning fact that the decision may already be made. [3:54] And he's essentially just preparing the world for what will happen next. [4:00] Now, in the midst of all of this, we have been. [4:02] Reporting that there has been discussion to try and avert further escalation in the form of discussions through intermediaries. [4:13] And the latest update on that has come from the vice president, J.D. Vance. [4:18] Take a listen. [4:20] The military objectives of the United States have been completed. [4:22] So that means, as the president has said, very shortly, this war is going to conclude. [4:27] And I think the nature of the conclusion is ultimately up to the Iranians. [4:32] Let's get the view in Tehran. [4:33] Bring in Ali Hashim. [4:34] Ali, the suggestion from the United States is that the ball is in Iran's court. [4:38] Given attacks appear to have already begun on Iranian infrastructure, what do we assume Iran's thinking is right now? [4:44] Well, given the fact that we are witnessing several attacks inside Tehran, outside Tehran on bridges, bridges that are connecting cities and provinces together, power plants. [5:02] Also, we're hearing of human chains now forming around some Iranians. [5:08] Iranian power plants, especially towards the south. [5:12] We heard of one in Ahwaz now. [5:13] Also, the impact of these attacks, alongside with Donald Trump's threats, are creating a situation of resilience within the Iranian government. [5:30] This is what we understood. [5:32] They said they're not going to continue communication for now as far as the threat is. [5:38] In this way, as far as there are no options, the fact is that the gaps are very big and these gaps do not seem to be possible to bridge with the current status quo, with the current situation, with what the Iranians are ready to offer and what the Americans are asking for. [5:59] And we have also to take into consideration the Israeli factor here because the Israeli factor is pushing more and more for. [6:08] For the American position to be hardened and hardened. [6:14] The Iranians are dealing with a situation where they're being asked to surrender or to fight. [6:21] Now, what we heard today from Hamad Bakr Khalibaf, the Speaker of the Parliament, is that whoever threatens Iran, whoever raises the finger against Iran, his finger will be caught. [6:32] Now, aside from the rhetoric, the Iranian armed forces said that they are retaliating. [6:38] Symmetrically to whatever attack is going to target their own power, the Iranian power plants and the Iranian infrastructure. [6:47] What we are expecting for now is more escalation. [6:52] Now, we don't know what might happen from now till the end of the day. [6:55] I heard what Kimberly was saying about how things might go from Tehran. [7:00] Seriously, the situation is waiting and waiting. [7:03] All of us are waiting. [7:05] Thanks, Ali. [7:05] Let's go back to Kimberly Harkin at the White House. [7:07] Kimberly, how receptive? [7:09] It's the U.S. to all the concerns coming from the GCC at the moment, who continue to be struck by Iranian retaliatory attacks and also, of course, those involved in mediation efforts. [7:22] Well, what we know is that there is not just alarm over the latest escalation of rhetoric, even by Donald Trump's standards internationally. [7:32] It's also here in the United States. [7:34] What this is, is kind of perplexing in many ways, as well as alarming. [7:40] Because we know. [7:41] We know that if Donald Trump carries out the threats, as he's suggesting, it would destroy energy markets. [7:46] It would destroy chemical markets. [7:47] And the ripple effect would be that it would hurt not just overseas, but also ordinary Americans who are already reeling with the spike in energy prices. [7:58] So there is a sense of inevitability, but also a sense of disbelief that the U.S. president is behaving this way and allowed to unchecked. [8:11] And so that's why. [8:11] That's why we're seeing not just ordinary Americans amongst themselves expressing alarm, but also lawmakers expecting expressing alarm. [8:19] Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former congresswoman, putting on social media, we cannot kill an entire civilization. [8:24] This is evil and madness. [8:26] The top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, in the U.S. Senate saying that Donald Trump's post is the reflection of a sick person and that Republicans that refuse to vote to stop this war will own every consequence of whatever the hell this is. [8:41] It's. [8:41] It's clear that there is alarm, that things have progressed to this level. [8:47] Kimberly Harkin at the White House. [8:48] Thank you.