President Donald Trump issued a direct warning to Iran’s leadership early Friday, boasting about U.S. military power and signaling that additional attacks against Tehran could be imminent following weeks of devastating strikes.
In a post on Truth Social early Friday morning, Trump threatened further military action against Iran while praising the strength of the U.S. armed forces.
“We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time – Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today,” the president wrote.
“They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them,” he continued. “What a great honor it is to do so!”
Trump began the message by criticizing U.S. media coverage of the ongoing conflict and the administration’s military campaign, known as Operation Epic Fury, which began in late February with coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel on Iranian military and leadership targets.
“We are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise, yet, if you read the Failing New York Times, you would incorrectly think that we are not winning,” the president said.
“Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth,” he added.
It remains unclear whether Trump was referring to a specific article with his criticism of The New York Times. The newspaper reported earlier this week that Trump and his advisers may have miscalculated Iran’s response to the conflict. The outlet also published an early Pentagon assessment suggesting U.S. forces were responsible for a strike that killed dozens of girls at a school during the opening phase of the war.
The conflict has escalated rapidly since late February, when U.S. and Israeli forces launched a wave of strikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure, missile manufacturing facilities, and senior members of the country’s leadership.
According to U.S. Central Command (Centcom), American forces have struck approximately 6,000 Iranian targets since the campaign began and have hit or sunk more than 90 Iranian vessels.
Trump’s comments come a day after a warning from Iran’s new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who assumed power after his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli strike on Tehran earlier in the conflict.
In his first public statement since taking power, the younger Khamenei vowed retaliation and warned that Iran could escalate the war against American interests in the region.
Khamenei also reportedly lost his wife and was injured in the strike that killed his father.
“The Strait of Hormuz must remain closed. American bases in the Middle East must be closed,” the new leader said in a statement read by Iranian state media. “Iran’s other military and regional capabilities will be activated if necessary.”
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most strategically important shipping lanes, with roughly 20 percent of global oil supplies passing through the narrow waterway each day. Any disruption to traffic through the strait could have major consequences for global energy markets and international trade.
U.S. officials say American forces have continued targeting Iranian naval assets and military infrastructure in and around the Persian Gulf as the conflict intensifies.
Trump’s latest comments suggest the administration may be preparing for another wave of strikes aimed at further weakening Iran’s military and leadership following weeks of sustained attacks.
