Trump threatens fresh strikes on Iran as Tehran vows retaliation, world leaders urge restraint and rising oil prices fuel fears of wider regional conflict…reports Asian Lite News Desk
US President Donald Trump has threatened another round of military strikes against Iran if Tehran fails to reach an agreement with Washington, as Iranian officials warn of stronger retaliation and international leaders intensify efforts to prevent the conflict from escalating further.
Speaking at a Republican campaign rally in Fort Myers, Florida, Trump said the United States could repeat its military campaign against Iran if diplomatic efforts failed to produce an agreement preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
“We may do another little Epic Fury, or they’ll agree. If they’re smart, they’ll just say, let’s get down to business,” Trump told supporters.
The warning comes amid growing uncertainty over the future of the conflict, which began with US and Israeli strikes against Iran in February and has widened into a regional confrontation affecting Gulf security, shipping and energy markets.
Trump has maintained that previous American military operations have severely weakened Iran’s military and destroyed its nuclear enrichment capabilities. He cited Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Epic Fury as evidence of the campaign’s success, although the extent of the damage to Iran’s nuclear programme remains a key issue.
“We obliterated Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity with Operation Midnight Hammer,” he said.
The President added that the United States had defeated Iran militarily and financially but did not specify the conditions Tehran would have to meet to prevent further attacks.
In an interview with Florida television station WINK-TV, Trump said he expected the conflict to end soon, either through an agreement or further military action.
“I see it ending soon. I see it ending one way or another, through agreement or otherwise,” he said.
Iran warns of stronger retaliation
Tehran has responded to Washington’s threats with warnings that renewed attacks would trigger a more forceful response.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has challenged Trump’s threats, saying Iran was prepared for another confrontation while maintaining that diplomacy remained possible under acceptable conditions.
Iranian security officials have also reportedly drawn up plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf if the US and Israel resume their attacks. Such disruption could affect internet connectivity, banking, online commerce and cloud computing across the region, according to reporting by The Indian Express citing Reuters.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has separately warned that US military bases and critical infrastructure in the Gulf could become targets if neighbouring countries assist a renewed American or Israeli campaign.
The threats raise concerns that another round of strikes could extend beyond military installations and nuclear facilities, putting regional infrastructure, commercial shipping and energy supplies at greater risk.
World leaders urge restraint
Diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation gained momentum at a meeting in Istanbul on Friday, where foreign ministers from eight European and Middle Eastern countries called on Washington and Israel not to launch fresh attacks on Iran.
Representatives from Türkiye, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UK, France, Germany and Italy urged a diplomatic approach, warning that renewed fighting could spread across the region and push oil prices higher.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who co-convened the meeting, said military intervention would not resolve the crisis and warned that another attack would widen the conflict.
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband also called for diplomacy, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot warned that another war between Iran and the United States would worsen pressure on energy prices.
Trump also referred to American naval operations around the strait, claiming that the US Navy was enforcing a blockade against Iran while allowing other shipping to pass. He said oil shipments through the waterway had increased despite the conflict.
The President has continued to present preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons as the central objective of US military action. However, he has provided no timetable for ending the conflict or details of a possible agreement.
