U.S. president announces strikes near Strait of Hormuz, threatens dramatic escalation if Tehran continues military responses
U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran's leadership late Tuesday, declaring that if Tehran continues its military responses, "very little will remain of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
The threat comes amid an ongoing series of American strikes against Iranian targets. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces had attacked positions belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) both inside Iran and near the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement, Trump confirmed the military action: "We have just struck Iranian targets near Hormuz." According to the announcement, the strikes were carried out in response to recent IRGC attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members stationed in the region.
CENTCOM detailed the targets hit in the operation: "We struck IRGC targets including air defense systems, radar installations, naval assets, facilities, mine-laying capabilities, and communications sites." Iranian media reported that air defense systems were activated in the Tehran area, and that the Iranian president's aircraft was forced to land in a different city due to the strikes.
Trump warned of unprecedented escalation should Iran retaliate. "If Iran responds, it will be attacked again with much greater force," he said. "But even that won't be the biggest attack. That one is still waiting, and when it's over, very little will remain of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
The American president also addressed Iran's economic and strategic position: "I don't really care if they sign an agreement that's worthless to them. I much prefer our current situation, with nearly complete control of the Strait of Hormuz, and with their economy collapsing completely."
Since the January protests and IRGC murder which followed,t his is the first time Trump has directly appealed to the Iranian people: "They are simply delaying the inevitable. When will the Iranian people rise up and fight?"
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