The Iranian Supreme National Security Council has told Donald Trump to ‘watch himself’ or be eliminated.
The Council’s secretary, Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, said in a press release: ‘The nation of Iran isn’t afraid of your empty threats.
‘Even those greater than you could possibly not eliminate the Iranian nation. Watch yourselves, otherwise you could be eliminated!’
The remarks come after Trump said earlier that he thought the war was ‘very complete’ and ‘far ahead of schedule’.
Despite this, Iran has doubled down on its defensive measures, launching recent attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries today.
Sirens warned of incoming missiles in Dubai within the United Arab Emirates, and in Bahrain, while Saudi Arabia said it destroyed two drones and Kuwait’s National Guard said it shot down six drones.
Later within the morning, sirens also sounded in Jerusalem, and sounds of explosions may very well be heard in Tel Aviv as Israel’s defence systems worked to intercept incoming fire, not long after the military said it detected an Iranian missile launch.
‘We’re definitely not on the lookout for a ceasefire,’ Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X.
‘We imagine that the aggressor must be punched within the mouth in order that he learns a lesson, in order that he won’t ever consider attacking our beloved Iran again.’
Oil prices have fallen back below $90 per gallon, and Trump seems to think the conflict is nearly over, even when his own Defence Department thinks it might linger for some time longer.
Despite pondering the war might end soon, Trump took to social media and said that if Iran stops the flow of oil within the Strait of Hormuz, the US would make it ‘make it virtually unattainable for Iran to ever be built back.’
Dr Bamo Nouri, senior lecturer in International Relations on the University of West London, told Metro that Trump’s claim is less of a definitive assessment and more of a calculated political message.
‘With global inflation still fragile, supply chains strained, and the ever-present risk of energy disruption through the Strait of Hormuz, the administration is under pressure to exhibit control over a situation that many critics argue was entered with no clear strategic roadmap,’ he said.
‘The financial burden alone is staggering; modern US military operations can cost a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands of dollars per day, with recent Middle East deployments estimated at roughly $8-10 billion per 30 days when accounting for carrier groups, air operations, logistics, and munitions – costs ultimately borne by American taxpayers. This particular war is estimated to cost the US $2billion per day!’
As an alternative, by claiming the war is nearly ‘accomplished’, Trump could be attempting to calm down markets and buy more time, Dr Nouri said.
‘While Washington can have initiated a war of selection, Tehran appears to be approaching it as a war of survival – arguably entering the confrontation with clearer expectations of a chronic struggle,’ he added.
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