On a Tuesday marked by escalating Middle Eastern tensions, former President Donald Trump delivered a stark, unprecedented threat to Iran just hours after the United States military restarted offensive bombing operations targeting positions linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) within Iranian territory.
In a public post shared to his Truth Social platform, Trump preemptively warned the Iranian government against any retaliatory action for the U.S. airstrikes. “If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level,” the post read. Trump went on to amplify the threat, adding, “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!”
Contrary to Trump’s attempt at intimidation, Iran did not back down from responding. The Associated Press confirmed on the same Tuesday that Iran launched a coordinated counter-strike of missiles and drones against U.S. assets immediately following the American bombing campaign.
The escalatory exchange comes one day after a Oval Office press interaction, when a reporter asked Trump whether he would entertain the use of nuclear weapons against Iran. At that time, Trump appeared to explicitly rule out such a drastic step, calling the question itself foolish. “There’s no reason for it,” Trump told reporters. “What a stupid question that is, actually. Here they are, they’re totally defeated militarily, so now I defeat them and now I should use a nuclear weapon on top of them?”
This is not the first time Trump has issued extreme threats against the Iranian government. Back in April, Trump issued an similarly drastic ultimatum, warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” unless Iran unconditionally surrendered to U.S. demands. In a notable reversal, Trump backed away from that threat within hours, agreeing to a temporary ceasefire deal that has since expired.
Despite Trump’s past pattern of walking back aggressive rhetoric, one risk analyst is warning that the latest threats should not be dismissed out of hand. Brett Erickson, managing partner at Obsidian Risk Advisors, noted in his own Tuesday social media post that the current situation carries new risks. “Throughout this entire war, I have been incredibly skeptical of any claims that President Trump is so much as DISCUSSING the use of nuclear weapons,” Erickson wrote. “This reads to me clear as day that they are on the table now.”