Nigeria, April 7 -- United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to extinguish an entire civilisation, as American and Israeli forces intensified strikes on Iranian territory and a self-imposed deadline for the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz expired with no deal in sight.

In a social media post that drew immediate global condemnation, Mr Trump declared: "A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again," adding that he hoped "maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen" to avert the threatened strikes.

"We will find out tonight," the American leader wrote, "one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World."

After the post, the US hit military targets on I...