US President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Iran of fresh strikes if the latter attempts to rebuild its ballistic missile or plans to revive the nuclear programme. Addressing a press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida, Trump said the US was closely monitoring the developments on Tehran.
"I don't want to say it, but Iran may have been behaving badly. It hasn't been confirmed yet, but if it is, they know the consequences. The consequences will be powerful, maybe more powerful than last time... Iran should have made a deal last time, I had given them an option," Trump said.
“I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are, we’re going to have to knock them down. We’ll knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them,” Trump said.
When asked whether the United States would support an Israeli attack on Iran if Tehran attempted to reinforce its ballistic missile or nuclear program, Trump said he would “immediately” announce support for Jerusalem in such a scenario.
“If they will continue with the missiles, yes. The nuclear? One will be: Yes, absolutely. The other is: We’ll do it immediately,” the US President said.
Earlier this year, the United States claimed to have destroyed Iran’s three major nuclear sites by carrying out airstrikes through B2 bombers, an operation Donald Trump has repeatedly hailed as a decisive triumph.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cautioned that Tehran is rebuilding momentum, particularly by ramping up its ballistic missile development.
Israel-Hamas ceasefire
The ceasefire brokered between Israel and Hamas, strongly promoted by Trump, has largely remained in place, though momentum has weakened in recent weeks. Each side claims the other has breached the agreement, while disagreements have surfaced among the United States, Israel, and Arab nations over how to proceed next.
