President Donald Trump has warned there will be "very little left" of the Islamic Republic of Iran if it retaliates, following the announcement of new US attacks on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said American forces were "as we speak" hitting Iranian targets near the crucial shipping route, describing the attacks as "large and powerful". The strikes were in response to what he described as Iran's unsuccessful attempt to place sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as eight missiles allegedly fired at a US military base in Jordan.
Warning of a larger attack
In a new post on Truth Social, Trump stated: "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 also claimed the Strait of Hormuz currently has "no mines", saying those placed in the key waterway had been "completely removed or detonated". He said all eight missiles fired at the US military base in Jordan had been "successfully knocked down".
Missile intercepts and previous strikes
The comments come after Iranian state television showed what it said were ballistic missiles being fired towards US bases in Jordan. Jordan's armed forces said eight missiles entering its airspace early on Monday were intercepted, while US officials described earlier action against alleged Iranian mine-laying forces as a "limited, precise action".
Those US strikes were aimed at two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, according to a US official quoted by Axios. The attack was the first reported US strike on Iranian territory since late July.
Nuclear warning and market impact
Trump later told Fox News: "We're going to hit them hard. There will be a response." He also characterised Iran's leadership as "violent" and "evil", while issuing a warning about its nuclear aspirations.
Trump said: "If they had a nuclear weapon, Israel would be gone. If I weren't President, Israel would be gone and there would probably be no Middle East."
The escalating tensions have also shaken energy markets, with oil prices soaring by around three per cent following the previous strikes.
A new anti-US billboard featuring Donald Trump has also emerged in southern Tehran amid the rising tensions. The billboard, spotted outside a train station on 1 September, bears the slogan: "Great Victory, Strait of Hormuz". Its emergence comes directly after the strikes on Larak Island on 30 August.
