Trump threatens Iran will 'no longer exist' as both sides trade blows in Strait of Hormuz

"There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started," said US President Donald Trump.

The Jerusalem Post
75
4 мин чтения
0 просмотров
Trump threatens Iran will 'no longer exist' as both sides trade blows in Strait of Hormuz
ByREUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF, JONAH DAVIDOV
JUNE 28, 2026 00:50
Updated: JUNE 28, 2026 10:06

The US military said it struck Iran again on Saturday, hours after a tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, in the worst escalation since the two sides signed an interim peace deal two weeks ago.

"The enemy is using tricks, and we do not trust it," the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday morning in response to the strikes. "It may make moves at any stage, even during the negotiations."

"Our response will be more severe than the last time every time the enemy violates the ceasefire."

US President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Saturday that the "United States aircraft just struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!"

"It is very possible that they will never learn! There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!" he wrote.

A screengrab from a video released by CENTCOM shows a flight deck crew member signaling an F‑35 jet on an aircraft carrier, in this image obtained from social media released on February 28, 2026
A screengrab from a video released by CENTCOM shows a flight deck crew member signaling an F‑35 jet on an aircraft carrier, in this image obtained from social media released on February 28, 2026 (credit: US CENTCOM)

Each of the warring sides has accused the other of violating the agreement reached two weeks ago to end the four-month-old conflict.

US Central Command said its forces carried out fresh strikes after a Panama-flagged tanker was attacked by an Iranian drone early on Saturday. In Iran, state broadcaster IRIB said early Sunday local time that explosions were heard in Sirik in southern Iran, without providing further details.

According to Trump, the US struck missile and drone storage facilities, as well as coastal radar sites.

Iran said on Sunday that US airstrikes targeted several monitoring and surveillance facilities on Iran's southern coast, calling the attacks a violation of an interim deal meant to end the four-month-old war between the two countries.

"These brutal attacks ... show that the US does not place the slightest value or credibility on its commitments, and breaking promises is part of its nature," Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Retaliation for Iranian strikes in Hormuz, US-linked targets attacked

"Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to," CENTCOM said in a statement. It said the strikes were "in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping" and targeted Iranian military surveillance, communications, air defense, drone storage, and mine-laying facilities.

A US defense official later reported that the strikes on Iranian targets were complete, according to Fox News.

Washington said earlier that it hit Iranian targets overnight. Iran said it responded on Saturday by striking targets linked to US forces.

Iran's Saturday drone attack on the cargo ship M/T Kiku, which, according to CENTCOM, carried more than two million barrels of crude oil, came after an earlier attack on the cargo ship M/V Ever Lovely that triggered the latest escalation on Thursday. Iran has made a fresh bid to assert control over the world's most important energy shipping route, which has begun to reopen after months of disruption.

Britain's UKMTO maritime security agency said the tanker hit on Saturday had sustained damage to its bridge, with all crew reported safe. The Joint Maritime Information Center, run by a coalition of navies protecting shipping, raised its security threat level as a result of recent incidents.

Iran has not directly commented on reports of specific attacks on ships. But Iranian state television reported that the Revolutionary Guards fired "warning shots" toward unspecified vessels attempting to pass through channels not approved by Iran, and that this was now prompting other ships to seek Iranian permits before attempting to cross the strait.

Earlier, Iran's foreign ministry said it launched "defensive" attacks on US-linked military targets, while Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy's regional headquarters, reported an Iranian drone attack. The US military did not immediately respond to the reports.

According to Reuters, in response to the latest US attacks, Iran's IRGC Navy command announced that US bases in the region will experience "hell" in the coming days.

CENTCOM affirms that US forces "remain vigilant, lethal, and ready" to continue defending commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz.

Оригинальный источник

The Jerusalem Post

Поделиться статьей

Похожие статьи