Pakistan launches eleventh-hour effort to prevent US strike against Iran amid Trump's warnings

US President Donald Trump addressed the media in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 06, 2026, in Washington, DC, discussing the successful military mission to rescue a weapons systems officer whose F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down in Iran.

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Pakistan made a last-minute proposal on Tuesday to prevent catastrophic US attacks on Iran, just hours before a deadline set by President Trump, who warned that a "whole civilization will die tonight".

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The White House confirmed it was aware of Pakistan's proposal and would respond to it, as Pakistan attempted to mediate the conflict after more than five weeks of US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

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Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated on X that "diplomatic efforts for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East are progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future".

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Prime Minister Sharif appealed directly to Trump to extend his deadline, set for 8:00 PM Washington time, by two weeks, and asked Iran to commit to reopening the Strait of Hormuz for the same period.

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Trump's latest threats, which included the statement "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again", were met with shock and warnings that he was encouraging genocide, potentially leading to war crimes charges.

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Trump's rhetoric was an escalation from a previous post, made on Easter Sunday, in which he threatened to destroy all bridges and power plants in Iran, a move that would be considered a war crime unless the sites were primarily used for military purposes.

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Pope Leo XIV condemned Trump's threat, stating that it was "truly unacceptable" and targeted the entire Iranian population.

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Vice President JD Vance mentioned that the United States had tools that had not yet been used against Iran, but the White House later denied that he was referring to nuclear weapons.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel had launched attacks on railways and bridges used by the Revolutionary Guards, while the Israeli military expressed regret for damaging a synagogue in Tehran.

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Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref stated that the country was prepared for all possible scenarios from the United States, saying "no threat is beyond our preparedness and intelligence".

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Iranian authorities reported several infrastructure attacks on Tuesday, including a US-Israeli strike on a bridge outside Qom and another on a rail bridge in central Iran that killed two people.

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A US-Israeli strike also shut down a key highway in northern Iran, connecting the city of Tabriz to Tehran, while the Mizan news agency reported a strike on railway tracks in Karaj, outside Tehran.

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University student Metanat, who lost a classmate in an attack two weeks ago, expressed her fear and terror, saying "death is not a joke" in response to Trump's ultimatums.

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Iranian pensioner Morteza Hamidi felt "gloomy for the future of the country" and stated that he had become desensitized to Trump's threats, having seen him back down on numerous occasions.

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State media published photos of Iranians forming human chains to protect power plants as the deadline approached, showcasing patriotism in the face of attacks.

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Israel warned its citizens of an increased risk of Iranian inbound attacks, while Kuwait and Bahrain took precautions, with Kuwait urging its citizens to stay indoors and Bahrain's main port suspending operations.

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The United States and Israel claimed that their attacks on Iran aimed to degrade its military capacity, with Trump alleging that Iran was close to building an atomic bomb, a claim not supported by the UN nuclear watchdog or most observers.

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Since being attacked on February 28, Iran has responded by taking control of the Strait of Hormuz, driving up global oil prices and putting pressure on Trump to reopen the strait.

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Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which had been diluted to remove the green light for Gulf states to use force to protect the shipping lane.

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Strikes were reported on Kharg island, a critical hub for the Iranian oil industry, according to Iran's Mehr news agency, although US media claimed the attacks targeted military sites.

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A series of explosions was heard across Tehran, with Iranian media reporting that 18 people, including two children, were killed in strikes in neighboring Alborz province.

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Attacks on Saudi Arabia hit a petrochemical complex in the eastern city of Jubail, while loud explosions were also heard in central Baghdad, where the US embassy is located.

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Iran has responded to the war by striking Gulf Arab states that host US troops, and Israel has launched a major offensive into Lebanon, vowing to control land from which Iranian-linked Hezbollah has fired rockets.

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The Israeli invasion into Lebanon has resulted in the deaths of over 1,500 people, according to authorities, and Israel has warned vessels in the maritime zone off Lebanon's south to head north of the city of Tyre.