WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to eliminate the “whole” Iranian civilization if its government did not meet his many demands, in a sharp escalation of his war with the Islamic Republic.

In a morning post on his Truth Social platform, Trump sent more conflicting messages about his intentions and how far he might be willing to go to end his feud with Tehran. When he first announced the ongoing bombardment of Iran in the wee hours of Feb. 28, Trump told the Iranian people he wanted to “help” them and said he eventually would urge them into their streets to oust their hard-line government.

But as a Trump-set deadline of Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern approached for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the president had changed his tune dramatically.

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” he wrote 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,” he added. “47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

It was not immediately clear whether Trump was bluffing with his intensifying rhetoric, nor if he had decided what orders he might give to U.S. military commanders when the deadline arrives for the leaders of a country of nearly 89 million people.

After Trump’s social media post, Iranian officials informed Pakistani intermediaries they would no longer participate in talks toward a possible ceasefire, the New York Times reported, citing three sources with knowledge of the communication.

During a Monday appearance in the White House briefing room, Trump reiterated his threats to target Iran’s electricity plants, major bridges and other crucial infrastructure. But by Tuesday morning, he had ramped up his rhetoric.

Democratic lawmakers began issuing condemnations of Trump’s threat later Tuesday morning, with one House Democrat calling on Cabinet officials to remove the president from office.

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., wrote on X that officials should invoke the “25th Amendment RIGHT NOW! Trump is too unhinged, dangerous, and deranged to have the nuclear codes!”

Another Wisconsinite, Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, said he was “hoping and praying” that it was all just “bluster” from Trump.

“I do not want to see us start blowing up civilian infrastructure,” he told CNN on Tuesday. “We are not at war with the Iranian people. We are trying to liberate them.”

As of publication time, the White House press office had not responded to multiple inquiries asking if Trump was threatening to drop nuclear weapons inside Iran on Tuesday night, or if a nuclear strike was off the table. Spokespersons for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., had also not responded to requests for comment on Trump’s morning threat.

Iranian leaders have been defiant amid the weekslong bombing campaign and Trump’s threats to hit critical infrastructure targets, even openly mocking him on social media.

Trump on Monday vacillated between threatening harsh strikes and vows to take care of Iran’s civilian population.

“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, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again,” Trump told reporters in the briefing room. “It will take them 100 years to rebuild.”

But at another point, he cast himself as a potential savior for Iran’s population.

“I’d keep the oil, and we’d make plenty of money,” he told reporters Monday at the White House Easter Egg Roll, floating a move that could economically hinder Iran — and any possible U.S.-backed new government. “And I would also take care of the people of Iran, much better than they’ve been taken care of. It’s been horrible.”

As Trump ramped up his threats, Vice President JD Vance was in Hungary touting a possible negotiated end to the war.

“The president has set a deadline for about 12 hours from now in the United States,” Vance told reporters in Budapest. “We’re going to find out, but there’s going to be a lot of negotiation between now and then.”

Amid the mixed messages from the U.S. leaders, the price of oil remained well above the so-called sweet spot of around $75 per barrel. U.S. crude was around $115 a barrel Tuesday morning, and the global Brent Crude index was nearly $111 per barrel.

Analysts have said oil, gasoline and diesel prices would likely remain high into the summer travel season, even if the war somehow ended quickly. The inflated fuel prices have put a pall over Trump’s and Republicans’ hopes to run midterm House and Senate races with a positive message about the health and trajectory of the economy.

Numerous polls have showed that the Iran war remains unpopular, with a majority of Americans also giving Trump low marks on his handling of a sluggish U.S. economy.

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