Sri Lanka, April 7 -- A self-imposed deadline set by President Donald Trump for Iran to reach a peace deal was looming Tuesday, as Trump escalated his threats to destroy the country's infrastructure and talks appeared to stall.

"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," Trump said in a post to his Truth Social account. "I don't want that to happen, but it probably." Trump earlier warned that a failure to reach an agreement by the 8 p.m. cutoff would result in U.S. military strikes on infrastructure, including every bridge and power plant in Iran.

Tehran on Monday rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal, saying it instead wants a permanent end to the war. Trump's rhetoric is raising questions about potential vi...