Donald Trump has threatened Iran with “obliteration” if the country launches any attack on US forces, in a Twitter rant railing against an “ignorant and insulting statement” by Tehran.
“Iran’s very ignorant and insulting statement, put out today, only shows that they do not understand reality”, Mr Trump tweeted Tuesday morning.
“Any attack by Iran on anything American will be met with great and overwhelming force. In some areas, overwhelming will mean obliteration. No more John Kerry & Obama!”
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.
From
15p
€0.18
$0.18
USD 0.27
a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.
Iran warned on Tuesday that new US sanctions targeting its supreme leader and other top officials meant “closing the doors of diplomacy” between Tehran and Washington amid heightened tensions, even as the country’s president derided the White House as being “afflicted by mental retardation.”
President Hassan Rouhani went on to call the sanctions against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “outrageous and idiotic,” especially since the 80-year-old Shiite cleric has no plans to travel to the United States.
1/17
Iran claims that in this picture released by Iran state TV, their surface-to-air missile is seen as it shoots down a US surveillance drone
EPA
2/17
This photo shows US RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned surveillance drone. A drone of this model was shot down by Iran on Thursday 21 June
AFP/Getty
3/17
An oil tanker is on fire after it was subject to a suspected attacked at the Gulf of Oman on June 13. The US has blamed Iran for the attack
Reuters
4/17
Iran claims that in this picture released by Iran state TV, debris from the downed US drone is seen after it was recovered from Iranian waters
AFP/Getty
5/17
Smoke billows from an oil tanker after it was subject to a suspected attacked at the Gulf of Oman on June 13
Reuters
6/17
US President Trump holds up a signed executive order to increase sanctions on Iran on 24 June
Bioreports
7/17
Iranian President Rouhani stated in a televised address that the White House is “afflicted by mental retardation” following the increase in sanctions on 25 June
EPA
8/17
An Iranian navy boat tackles the fire on the Norwegian owned Front Altair oil tanker after it was hit in a suspected attack
AFP/Getty
9/17
Iran claims that in this picture released by Iran state TV, debris from the downed US drone is seen after it was recovered from Iranian waters
AFP/Getty
10/17
Smoke billows from an oil tanker after it was subject to a suspected attacked at the Gulf of Oman on June 13
Reuters
11/17
A screenshot from a video released by the US Department of Defense that the US claims to show Iranian removing an unexploded limpet mine form the hull of the Japan-owned ship that was attacked in the Gulf of Oman on June 13
Getty
12/17
An item reportedly found on the Japan-owned oil tanker that was attacked on June 13 in the Gulf of Oman
AFP/Getty
13/17
A handout photograph from the US Department of Defense shows a composite material that the US claim was left behind on the hull of the Japan-owned oil tanker following the removal of an unexploded limpet mine
Getty
14/17
A view from the cabin of an Iranian navy boat as it tackles the fire on the Norwegian owned Front Altair oil tanker after it was hit in a suspected attack
EPA
15/17 Release by US government
A picture released by U.S. Central Command shows damage to the hull of the oil tanker Kokuka Courageous. The picture suggests that the ship is ‘likely’ to have been hit by a mine as the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo moves to blame Iran for the suspected attack
Reuters
16/17
Smoke billows from an oil tanker after it was subject to a suspected attacked at the Gulf of Oman on June 13
Reuters
17/17 Release by US government
A picture released by U.S. Central Command shows damage to the hull of the oil tanker Kokuka Courageous. The pictures suggests that the ship is ‘likely’ to have been hit by a mine as the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo moves to blame Iran for the suspected attack
EPA
1/17
Iran claims that in this picture released by Iran state TV, their surface-to-air missile is seen as it shoots down a US surveillance drone
EPA
2/17
This photo shows US RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned surveillance drone. A drone of this model was shot down by Iran on Thursday 21 June
AFP/Getty
3/17
An oil tanker is on fire after it was subject to a suspected attacked at the Gulf of Oman on June 13. The US has blamed Iran for the attack
Reuters
4/17
Iran claims that in this picture released by Iran state TV, debris from the downed US drone is seen after it was recovered from Iranian waters
AFP/Getty
5/17
Smoke billows from an oil tanker after it was subject to a suspected attacked at the Gulf of Oman on June 13
Reuters
6/17
US President Trump holds up a signed executive order to increase sanctions on Iran on 24 June
Bioreports
7/17
Iranian President Rouhani stated in a televised address that the White House is “afflicted by mental retardation” following the increase in sanctions on 25 June
EPA
8/17
An Iranian navy boat tackles the fire on the Norwegian owned Front Altair oil tanker after it was hit in a suspected attack
AFP/Getty
9/17
Iran claims that in this picture released by Iran state TV, debris from the downed US drone is seen after it was recovered from Iranian waters
AFP/Getty
10/17
Smoke billows from an oil tanker after it was subject to a suspected attacked at the Gulf of Oman on June 13
Reuters
11/17
A screenshot from a video released by the US Department of Defense that the US claims to show Iranian removing an unexploded limpet mine form the hull of the Japan-owned ship that was attacked in the Gulf of Oman on June 13
Getty
12/17
An item reportedly found on the Japan-owned oil tanker that was attacked on June 13 in the Gulf of Oman
AFP/Getty
13/17
A handout photograph from the US Department of Defense shows a composite material that the US claim was left behind on the hull of the Japan-owned oil tanker following the removal of an unexploded limpet mine
Getty
14/17
A view from the cabin of an Iranian navy boat as it tackles the fire on the Norwegian owned Front Altair oil tanker after it was hit in a suspected attack
EPA
15/17 Release by US government
A picture released by U.S. Central Command shows damage to the hull of the oil tanker Kokuka Courageous. The picture suggests that the ship is ‘likely’ to have been hit by a mine as the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo moves to blame Iran for the suspected attack
Reuters
16/17
Smoke billows from an oil tanker after it was subject to a suspected attacked at the Gulf of Oman on June 13
Reuters
17/17 Release by US government
A picture released by U.S. Central Command shows damage to the hull of the oil tanker Kokuka Courageous. The pictures suggests that the ship is ‘likely’ to have been hit by a mine as the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo moves to blame Iran for the suspected attack
EPA
Yet the sharp response from Tehran shows the pressure that the nation’s Shiite theocracy and its 80 million people feel over the maximalist campaign of sanctions by the Trump administration.
From Israel, Mr Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton said Iran could walk through an “open door” to talks with America, though he also warned that “all options remain on the table” if Tehran makes good on its promise to begin breaking one limit from its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
The crisis gripping the Middle East stems from Mr Trump’s withdrawal of the US a year ago from the nuclear deal with Iran and other world powers and then imposing crippling new sanctions on Tehran.
Recently, Iran quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium to be on pace to break one of the deal’s terms by Thursday, while also threatening to raise enrichment closer to weapons-grade levels on July 7 if European countries still abiding by the accord don’t offer a new deal.
Citing unspecified Iranian threats, the US has sent an aircraft carrier to the Middle East and deployed additional troops alongside the tens of thousands already there.
All this has raised fears that a miscalculation or further rise in tensions could push the US and Iran into an open conflict, 40 years after the Islamic Revolution.
Mr Trump enacted the new sanctions against Mr Khamenei and his associates on Monday.That action followed Iran’s downing on June 20 of a US surveillance drone, worth over $100m (£78,613), above the Strait of Hormuz, sharply escalating the crisis.
Mr Trump then said he pulled back from the brink of retaliatory military strikes but continued his pressure campaign against Iran.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
