Donald Trump has vowed to destroy Iran's "whole civilisation" in just hours and declared "extortion, corruption and death will end" if Tehran fails to strike a deal with the US.
The President has appeared to stick to his original demand for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8pm tonight, with its blockade sending oil prices soaring worldwide.
Previously, the Commander-in-Chief handed Iran the ever-approaching deadline to clear the key maritime passage - or face chilling consequences, including the destruction of its power plants and bridges.
This afternoon, Mr Trump instructed the nation to ready itself for "one of the most important moments in the history of the world".
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
In an explosive post on Truth Social, he eerily declared: "A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again."
He added: "I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.
"However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalised 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.
Donald Trump made the eerie warning on Tuesday
|GETTY
"God Bless the Great People of Iran!"
Earlier today, US officials launched air strikes on an Iranian island, the Kharg Island, which is home to a major oil export hub.
The US hit the land mass at the start of the war - but ceased its assaults while negotiations took place between the White House and Iran.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Defense Forces confirmed the completion of a "wave of extensive strikes a short while ago targeting dozens of pieces of infrastructure" across the Islamic Republic.
LATEST ON THE IRAN WAR:
Satellite image of Kharg Island, which the US hit overnight
|GETTY
At a press conference yesterday, the 47th President promised the "decimation" of every bridge across Iran, while every power plant would be "out of business" if Tehran refused to buckle to his demands.
He told reporters he was "not at all" concerned about committing war crimes - despite his warning to target the power plants, bridges and oil wells, which is illegal according to international humanitarian law.
"You know the war crime? The war crime is allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon," he said.
However, in response, Iranian media has reported the IRGC has issued a stark retaliatory warning, declaring they could "deprive" the US and its allies of oil and gas "for many years" if Washington commits to their deadline.
The statement reads: "We will do to the infrastructure of America and its partners what will deprive them and their allies of the region’s oil and gas for many years.
"American leaders lack the ability to calculate the critical assets that would be within range of our fighters if they attacked our infrastructure.
"Our response will extend beyond the region if the US military crosses our red lines."
After his boss's explosive tirade on Truth Social, Vice President JD Vance outlined "two pathways" for Iran.
"I think pathway one is where the Iranians decide they’re going to be a normal country," he started. "They’re not going to fund terrorism any more.
"They’re going to be part of the world system of commerce and exchange. And that’s going to mean much better things for them economically..."
The second option, he said, is that Iranians "stay committed to terrorism" across the region, driving its economy further into the ground.