US President Donald Trump on Saturday vowed that Iran would be hit very hard today, and certain areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting before would be marked for “complete destruction and certain death."
His remarks came after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologised to neighbouring countries that were targeted in recent Iranian attacks, saying Tehran would avoid striking regional states unless assaults on Iran originated from their territory.
Taking credit for Pezeshkian’s apology, Trump claimed that Iran had “apologised and surrendered" to its Middle East neighbours and that relentless US and Israeli pressure had forced Tehran to stop targeting neighbouring countries.
“Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologised and surrendered to its Middle East neighbours, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore. This promise was only made because of the relentless US and Israeli attack. They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries," he said on Truth Social.
Trump also called Iran the “Loser of the Middle East" and promised to hit the country hard until total surrender.
“Today Iran will be hit very hard! Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behaviour, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time," he said.
This followed a week of escalating violence across the region after the conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States expanded beyond Iranian territory. Iranian missiles and drones targeted several Gulf states hosting US military facilities, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, prompting strong regional condemnation.
Iran, which launched hundreds of missiles targeting US and Israeli facilities in the Gulf region, has now decided to halt attacks on nearby countries unless they were used as a base for strikes against the Islamic Republic after widespread condemnation from Gulf countries. Despite the apology, Pezeshkian rejected calls by Trump for Iran’s “unconditional surrender," saying the country would continue defending itself if attacked.
Meanwhile, three US B-1 bombers capable of carrying 24 cruise missiles have landed in the UK after Prime Minister Keir Starmer approved “defensive" US action against Iranian missile sites from UK bases, according to BBC. Starmer had earlier refused to grant permission for the US to use UK bases in its joint offensive with Israel against Iran, causing a disagreement with Trump.
Trump told journalists in the Oval Office earlier this week he was “not happy with the UK" over the decision, which led to US planes “flying many extra hours" to carry out strikes last weekend. However, the UK’s decision to allow US bombers has not sit well with MPs.
“American B-1 bombers are landing on British soil before flying off to bomb Iran, yet Keir Starmer gaslights the nation by claiming the UK isn’t at war. These aircraft are dropping 2,000lb bombs on schools, hospitals and homes in Iran, where the death toll has already surpassed 1,300. If this illegal war is being launched from our bases, then the UK is directly involved," said Zarah Sultana, an MP for Coventry South.
While Gulf states host US military bases, they had told Washington they would not allow these to be used for any attacks on Iran. Iran’s apparent strategy of maximum chaos has driven up the costs of the conflict by raising energy prices, hurting global business and logistics links and shaking trust in the stability of a critical region for the world’s economy.
The US-Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and wounded thousands, according to Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani. Iranian attacks have killed 11 people in Israel, and at least six US service members have been killed.
