U.S. President \u201cDonald Trump\u201d warned that Iran could be \u201ceradicated as a state\u201d if it decides to respond to U.S. strikes targeting sites belonging to Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) yesterday, Tuesday, in the latest escalation in Washington\u2019s rhetoric toward Tehran, amid growing tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrump\u201d said in remarks to Fox News that the Iranian regime \u201cdoes not stop,\u201d describing those in charge of it as \u201ccrazy and stupid,\u201d and noting that the United States deliberately waited for the reconstruction of an Iranian radar system to be completed before targeting it.<\/p>\n
The U.S. president added that any new agreement with Iran would be worthless, considering that Tehran had been given several opportunities, before stressing that Iran could be \u201ccompletely eradicated as a state\u201d if it responded to the U.S. strikes.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrump\u201d affirmed that any agreement with Iran \u201cis not worth the paper it is written on,\u201d signaling his lack of confidence in reaching new understandings with the Iranian leadership. He also pointed to U.S. military readiness, saying that the aircraft carrier \u201cGeorge Washington\u201d is ready and heavily armed.<\/p>\n
Earlier, \u201cTrump\u201d said through his account on the \u201cTruth Social\u201d platform that the latest U.S. strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz were \u201cjustified,\u201d warning Tehran that the U.S. response would be harsher if it decided to retaliate against the attack.<\/p>\n
He explained that U.S. forces carried out the strikes in response to what he described as a \u201cfailed attempt\u201d by Iran to lay naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, in addition to the launch of eight missiles toward U.S. military positions in Jordan.<\/p>\n
Trump said the U.S. airstrikes were \u201clarge-scale and powerful,\u201d coming in response to Iran\u2019s attempt to lay naval mines in the strait, stressing that the waterway is currently free of mines after they were completely removed or detonated, according to his account.<\/p>\n
He also noted that all eight Iranian missiles launched toward a U.S. military base in Jordan were successfully intercepted.<\/p>\n
The U.S. president warned that if Iran responds to what he described as the \u201cjustified attack,\u201d the United States will launch new attacks \u201cwith greater force and at a higher level,\u201d adding that the next strike\u2014despite this\u2014would not be the largest attack ever.<\/p>\n
In even harsher rhetoric, \u201cTrump\u201d stated that the \u201clargest attack\u201d awaits Iran, warning that only \u201ca little\u201d of the country would remain if it were carried out.<\/p>\n
The escalation comes at a time when U.S. Central Command confirmed that U.S. forces had carried out strikes against targets belonging to Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, explaining that the operations came in response to attempts to target commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as threats to U.S. forces deployed in the region.<\/p>\n
These developments come days after the direct military confrontation between Washington and Tehran resumed, following a period of relative calm that lasted about a month, amid continued tensions surrounding one of the world\u2019s most important shipping routes.<\/p>\n
U.S. forces had targeted two Iranian missile launch platforms on Sunday on Larak Island, near the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command said at the time that the strike was \u201climited and precise,\u201d targeting IRGC personnel who, according to the U.S. account, were preparing to lay mines in the strategic waterway.<\/p>\n
Iran responded by launching missiles toward two bases hosting U.S. forces in Jordan, while the Jordanian military announced that it had intercepted eight missiles that entered the kingdom\u2019s airspace.<\/p>\n
For its part, Tehran explained that the missile attacks came in response to the U.S. strike targeting Larak Island, thereby continuing the cycle of strikes and retaliations between the two sides, while fears grow that the confrontation could expand across the region.<\/p>\n
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