Trump Reportedly Confirms 8 PM Deadline For Iran Attacks — Dow Tumbles Over 270 Points Amid 'Whole Civilization Will Die Tonight' Warning

• President Trump added that this is one of the most important moments in world history, saying the outcome will be known tonight.
• Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani dismissed President Trump’s threats, terming them a sign of ignorance.
• Crude oil prices gained following Trump’s latest threats, with the U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures maturing in May rising nearly 3% to more than $116 per barrel.

President Donald Trump reportedly confirmed that “8 p.m. is happening,” referring to the deadline set by him for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, the escalating tensions in the Middle East dragged U.S. equities lower. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) tumbled more than 270 points, while the S&P 500 index and the Nasdaq Composite were down 0.5% and 0.8%, respectively.

“He said, it is, if we get to that point, there is going to be an attack like they have not seen. Now he's sticking to that at this point. Now, he said if negotiations move forward today and there is something concrete, that could change. But at this hour, he didn't want to put odds on it,” said Fox News’ Bret Baier following his conversation with President Trump on Tuesday morning.

Trump Issues Stark Warning To Iran

President Trump also issued a dire warning to Iran on Tuesday, stating in a post on Truth Social that a “whole civilization will die tonight.” He added that while he does not want it to happen, it probably will.

“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,” he said, while calling it one of the most important moments in the history of the world.

Iran Reportedly Calls Trump’s Threat A Sign Of Ignorance

According to a CNN report citing Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani dismissed President Trump’s threats, terming them a sign of ignorance.

“The door to dialogue opens with respect; the narrow path of threats, pettiness, and humiliation is not a way in. Threatening a ‘civilization’ is, more than anything, a sign of ignorance of the history of a nation that has repeatedly overcome crises and continues to stand,” he said.

Crude Oil Prices Rise

Crude oil prices gained following President Trump’s latest threats. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures maturing in May rose about 3% to more than $116 per barrel. Brent crude futures maturing in June gained nearly 1%, and were hovering near $111 per barrel.

The United States Oil Fund ETF (USO) gained about 2%, while the ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Crude Oil ETF (UCO) was up about 3% at the time of writing.

Meanwhile, Russia and China vetoed a U.N. resolution to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Reuters report. The resolution had 11 votes in favor, two against, and two abstentions.

At the time of writing, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), which tracks the S&P 500 index, declined 0.5%; the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ) fell 0.74%; and the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA) declined 0.57%. Retail sentiment on Stocktwits regarding the S&P 500 ETF was in the ‘extremely bearish’ territory.

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