The U.S. on Tuesday launched a new series of strikes against Iranian targets as peace talks remain stalled and President Donald Trump again aired his frustration with Tehran’s leadership.
Trump called the strikes “large and powerful” and warned Iran against any retaliatory measures.
“If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran!” Trump said in a post to social media.
In a post announcing the attacks, U.S. Central Command said they “follow recent attempted attacks by the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed to the region.”
The two rounds of strikes the U.S. launched this week mark a renewed exchange of fire between the two countries after a weekslong pause in fighting. The administration also announced last week what it called “Operation Economic Outcast,” a new effort Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said is intended to economically isolate Iran.
Trump’s new, menacing rhetoric is a sharp pivot from earlier this week, when CENTCOM described strikes on Iran’s Larak Island as “limited, precise action.” Iran’s state-run media reported those strikes killed at least two and wounded several others.
Ahead of Tuesday’s strikes, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country was ready to return to the since-expired ceasefire agreement if the U.S. did the same.
“I am stating clearly that if the U.S. returns to its commitments under the Memorandum of Understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately reciprocate,” Pezeshkian said at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, according to state-run media and reporting by Reuters.
Trump has repeatedly complained about Iranian leaders, writing on social media that their “leadership is in total disarray and incapable of properly representing the country.”
Observers here worry the U.S. approach risks further destabilisation. Rather than seeking a de-escalatory path that could involve constructive engagement with other global powers, Washington’s loud threats leave little room for diplomacy and encourage a cycle of tit-for-tat strikes.
