Pope Leo Slams Threat To Entire Iran Population As 'Unacceptable'

(MENAFN- Jordan Times) CASTEL GANDOLFO - Pope Leo said Tuesday threats to inflict widespread damage on civilian targets in Iran were "unacceptable" and could breach international law.

"Today... there was this threat against all the people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable. There are certainly questions of international law, but much more than that, it is a moral question," the pope told journalists as he left his residence in Castel Gandolfo, outside Rome, for the Vatican. He did not mention US threats to Iran specifically.

US President Donald Trump warned "a whole civilization will die" in Iran if the country does not heed his midnight deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran reported US-Israeli attacks on its infrastructure were already underway.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump elevated his ultimatum for Iran, stating that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don't want that to happen, but it probably will", if the country did not make a deal.

It was not clear exactly what he meant or by what means he intended to carry out the threat.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned they would deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas if Washington crossed Tehran's "red lines".

Both Trump and Iran have said previously that a proposal touted by international mediators for a 45-day ceasefire was not yet ready.

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