Trump defends 'whole civilization will die' message to Iran: 'I'm fine with it'

President Trump on Sunday defended his social media post from earlier this week stating “a whole civilization" would die in Iran, arguing it brought the Iranian government to the negotiating table. “I’m fine with it,” Trump told host Maria Bartiromo on Fox News's “Sunday Morning Futures,” when she asked about the post.  On Tuesday, less than 12 hours before his self-imposed deadline for the Islamic Republic to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the president issued a dire threat to the Middle Eastern country. “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?" “We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World. 47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end. God Bless the Great People of Iran!” Intentional attacks on civilians and civilian objects that are not directly involved in hostilities are considered war crimes under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which former President Clinton signed in 2000. The Senate, though, has not ratified the treaty. While the president did not follow through on those threats, as his administration agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran later t…