NEW: Trump Doubles Down On Iran Ultimatum: ‘8 PM Is Happening!’

President Donald Trump said Tuesday the U.S. is prepared to unleash major strikes on Iran if his 8 p.m. Eastern deadline passes without a breakthrough.

In a phone interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, Trump made clear the timeline is firm.

“I just got off the phone with the president and he called and I said, listen, if you were to put odds on it, what were the odds that this is going to end up being a negotiated deal? He said he wasn’t going to put odds on it. But he said, 8 p.m. Is happening. That’s what he said,” Baier said.

“He said, if we get to that point, there is going to be an attack like they have not seen. Now, he’s sticking to that at this point. Now, he said, if negotiations move forward today and there is something concrete, that could change. But at this hour, he didn’t want to put odds on it. But he said it is moving forward with the plans that we have. That’s a huge deal,” he added.

The warning comes as tensions surged throughout Tuesday, with fresh military activity and a dramatic show of civilian mobilization inside Iran.

Iran’s state-run Fars news agency released a video it described as a “Human chain in front of the Kazerun combined cycle power plant,” appearing to show hundreds of civilians gathered outside the site. The crowd was reportedly responding to calls from a government official urging people to act as human shields around key infrastructure.

The Kazerun facility, also spelled Kazeroon, is a natural gas-fired power plant in Iran’s southwestern Fars province near the Persian Gulf, according to multiple reports.

SEE THE VIDEO: Iran Creates ‘Human Shield’ Around Power Plants

The videos surfaced as Trump increases pressure on Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to global shipping before the deadline. The president has warned that failure to comply could trigger strikes targeting Iran’s power grid and transportation network.

Earlier Tuesday, Israeli warplanes hit rail lines and bridges across Iran in what officials described as an effort to disrupt the regime’s ability to move weapons and equipment.

Israel’s Army Radio reported that 10 rail lines and bridges were struck, with the infrastructure allegedly used to transport missile systems and launch platforms. Iranian outlets also reported joint U.S.-Israeli attacks on rail targets in several cities.

There were no immediate casualty figures, and Iranian authorities have not provided updated nationwide damage assessments.

The strikes followed warnings from the Israeli military telling civilians to avoid trains and rail stations, signaling a broader target set beyond traditional military sites.

With hours left before Trump’s deadline, the situation remains fluid, with both sides signaling that the next moves could be decisive.

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