From Trump's End Of Civilisation' Threat To Ceasefire Before Deadline: What Really Happened

The US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire Tuesday (local time) about an hour before President Donald Trump's deadline to "obliterate" the Islamic Republic was set to expire.

In a post on social media, Trump said he would withhold "the bombing and attack of Iran" for two weeks, subject to Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz. His announcement was an abrupt turnaround from earlier in the day, when he issued a warning that "a whole civilization will die tonight" if his demands were not met.

Trump's Repeated Deadline Delays, Threats

Since the war began in the Middle East on February 28, Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran, announcing deadline delays and proclamations that the negotiations were going well.

He had initially threatened Tehran on March 21 to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.

"If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST," he posted on Truth Social.

However, 12 hours before the deadline, Trump said that the US and Iran had "very good and productive" conversations toward concluding the conflict, which erupted on February 28 with deadly US-Israeli strikes on Tehran.

He wrote that he had instructed the Pentagon to postpone any strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days, to give more time for talks.

Then, before that deadline, on March 26, Trump doubled down on his threats on Truth Social. 

"They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won't be pretty," he said.

Later that day, he again extended the deadline for 10 more days, to April 6 at 8 pm ET, and said that negotiations were "going very well".

On March 30, Trump celebrated the progress in the talks but also threatened bombing if a deal wasn't "shortly reached".

"The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran. Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately "Open for Business," we will conclude our lovely "stay" in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet "touched"," he wrote on Truth Social.

On April 2, he posted a video of the biggest bridge in Iran "coming tumbling down, never to be used again". 

"Much more to follow! IT IS TIME FOR IRAN TO MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, AND THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF WHAT STILL COULD BECOME A GREAT COUNTRY," he said.

Donald J. Trump Truth Social 04:02.26 12:37 PM EST

The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again — Much more to follow! IT IS TIME FOR IRAN TO MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, AND THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF WHAT STILL COULD BECOME A GREAT COUNTRY!… pic.twitter.com/3NQ5tBLgum

— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 2, 2026

A day later, he said the US military "hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran.

"Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants! New Regime leadership knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST," he said.

On April 4, Trump reminded Iran that the "time was running out".

"Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD," he said.

A day later, he launched a foul-mouthed threat to destroy Iran's vital civilian infrastructure and pushed the deadline again.

"Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F---in' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell," he said on Truth Social, followed by another post that specified 8 pm ET as the deadline.

On April 6, he suggested that the April 7 deadline would be final, saying he'd already given Iran enough extensions.

"The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night," Trump said.

"We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o'clock tomorrow night," he said.

On the morning of April 7, he warned Iran to make a deal, saying a "whole civilization will die tonight" if an agreement is not reached to end the conflict.

"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

"However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS? We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran," he said.

With a little over an hour left on his deadline on Tuesday, he announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran.

Trump said the decision to suspend military action came following conversations with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, who asked him to hold back his planned strikes.

""Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks," he said.

"This will be a double-sided CEASEFIRE! The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning long-term peace with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East," he said,

Trump also said that the US has received a 10-point proposal from Iran.

"Believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate," he said.

"Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two-week period will allow the Agreement to be finalised and consummated," he said.