As U.S. President Donald Trump's deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz — a key oil route cut off by the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran — approached in early April 2026, a claim circulated online that Trump threatened the Islamic Republic via a post on his Truth Social account.
On April 7, social media users shared screenshots purportedly showing a message (archived) the president posted, which warned that "a whole civilization will die tonight" as a result of "one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World." Trump's alleged post concluded, "God Bless the Great People of Iran!"
In short, the screenshots authentically show a post from Trump's Truth Social account on April 7, 2026. Therefore, we've rated this claim true.
Trump shared the post (archived), with text matching what could be seen in the screenshots, shortly after 8 a.m. EDT on April 7. His message reads, in full:
A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. 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 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. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!
(Truth Social user @realDonaldTrump)
Snopes has previously reported on other occasions where Trump threatened Iran via Truth Social. For example, on Easter Sunday, Trump demanded Iran open the Strait of Hormuz or the country would be "living in hell." Regarding the Easter Sunday post, a White House spokesperson said via email, "President Trump's TRUTH was very clear – the Iranian regime can make a deal with the United States or suffer grave consequences."
Following his Easter Sunday post, Trump shared a message on Truth Social saying (archived), "Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!"
As of this writing, the Strait of Hormuz has not yet opened. The U.S. and Israel reportedly hit military targets and Iran's oil export hub Kharg Island overnight on April 7. The Israeli military also said it struck numerous bridges across the Islamic Republic.
For further reading, Snopes has covered numerous claims about the U.S.-Israel war on Iran since it began.