U.S. President Donald Trump gave Iran until tonight—8 p.m. ET on April 7—to capitulate to his demand to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or he would unleash a campaign to destroy every power plant in Iran in four hours. Then he declared at about 8 a.m. ET this morning, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”
It is clear, however, that hours before the deadline, the U.S.-Israeli campaign to destroy Iran is well underway. According to numerous news reports, Israel is now bombing Iran’s railway system and the U.S. has attacked military facilities on Kharg Island. Earlier reports had indicated that massive U.S.-Israeli bombing of targets all across Iran is already underway. Early on Tuesday, April 7, the Israeli military said it had completed a wave of airstrikes targeting Iranian government infrastructure in Tehran and other areas. It was operating air defense systems to intercept missiles launched from Iran, Reuters reported overnight. Israel also issued an advisory urging Iranians to avoid trains and stay away from railways until Tuesday evening. “Your presence on trains and near railway lines endangers your life,” the military posted on its Persian-language account on X.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that they have been hitting bridges and railways today, because Iran is using them to transport materials to make weapons. The statement added that the strikes were not meant to target civilians. Netanyahu is quoted: “This is no longer the same Iran, nor is it the same Israel. We are changing the balance of power from one end to the other.”
