United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned on Tuesday that President Donald Trump's threat that "a whole civilisation will die tonight" if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz constitutes a war crime. Türk condemned the "tirade of incendiary rhetoric" from all sides in the Middle East conflict, describing the statements as "sickening" and saying that carrying them out would amount to "the most serious international crimes". He added that threats that spread fear among civilians are "unacceptable and must cease immediately".
Trump set an 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time deadline for Iran on Tuesday, after which he said the whole civilisation would die. In response, Brigadier General Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned that Iran would "annihilate" power plants, energy infrastructure and companies with American shareholders if Trump proceeds.
Türk stressed that under international law, deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are war crimes and that anyone responsible must be tried by a competent court. He called on the international community to de‑escalate the situation to protect civilian lives.
Masoud Pezeshkian, president of Iran, said on Tuesday that 14 million Iranians are prepared to sacrifice their lives to defend the nation.
Volker Türk's warning that Trump's ultimatum could be classified as a war crime signals a heightened risk of global instability that may ripple into Nigeria's oil‑dependent economy. If the rhetoric escalates into actual attacks, Nigerian exporters could face volatile prices and supply chain disruptions, affecting everyday fuel costs for citizens.
