US President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran, stating the country will face "very powerful" consequences if it attempts to rebuild its ballistic missile programme. This comes amid unconfirmed reports that Tehran may be restarting its weapons development at new sites.
Trump's Direct Warning to Tehran
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, President Trump delivered a blunt message. "Now 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," he stated.
The President added that while the development was not yet confirmed, Iran would know the consequences, which he described as potentially "more powerful than last time." He referenced the US strikes earlier this year, which he has repeatedly called a major success that "obliterated" Iran's nuclear programme.
Trump noted he had been reading reports suggesting Iran could be rebuilding weapons infrastructure, but not at the locations previously hit by US forces. "If they are, they're not using the sites that we obliterated, but they're using possibly different sites," he said.
Iran's Vow of a 'Harsh Response'
In a swift and defiant reaction, a top political adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader warned that any aggression would be met with severe retaliation. Ali Shamkhani took to social media platform X to state, "Iran’s missile capability and defence are not containable or permission-based."
He issued a clear counter-threat: "Any aggression will face an immediate harsh response beyond its planners' imagination." This statement directly follows Trump's threat to "eradicate" any attempt by Tehran to rebuild its nuclear ambitions.
Background of US Strikes and Ongoing Tensions
The context for this fresh exchange is the US military operation earlier this year, which targeted three nuclear facilities in Iran. The strike on the heavily fortified underground facility at Fordow was particularly significant, reportedly involving six massive 30,000-pound "bunker buster" bombs deployable only by US B-2 stealth bombers.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with Trump, has recently warned that Iran is again expanding its ballistic missile activities. He is expected to press for tougher action during his talks with the US President, keeping the long-standing issue of Iran's military capabilities at the forefront of their alliance.
The situation remains tense, with unconfirmed intelligence driving public warnings from both sides. The world watches to see if this war of words escalates into further action.
