The confrontation between the United States and Iran entered a more volatile phase on Sunday after President Donald Trump issued a stark warning of further Iranian retaliation that threatens unprecedented military power, even as Tehran announced a new wave of missile and drone attacks targeting American and Israeli assets across the region.
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The exchange marks one of the most dangerous moments in the rapidly escalating conflict sparked by the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an event that reshaped regional politics and sparked unrest beyond Iran’s borders.
Trump issues warning about Truth Social
Trump delivered his message through a statement posted on his Truth Social platform, in response to reports that Iran was preparing an intensified retaliation.
“Iran has just said it will strike very hard today, harder than ever before,” the US president wrote.
“However, they better not, because if they do, we will hit them with a force never seen before!”
The post ended with the full statement released by Trump:
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“IRAN JUST SAID THAT TODAY, THEY WILL STRIKE VERY HARD, HARDER THAN THEY HAVE EVER STRIKED BEFORE. HOWEVER, THE BEST DON’T DO IT BECAUSE WHEN THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN! Thank you for your attention to this matter! President” DONALD J. TRUMP
The warning underscores Washington’s readiness to escalate further if Iranian attacks continue.
Iran launches sixth wave of attacks, targeting US bases
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced shortly after Trump’s remarks that it was conducting a sixth wave of retaliatory operations, according to Iranian state media.
The IRGC said it had launched “large-scale missile and drone attacks” targeting Israeli and US military installations across the region. Iranian reports claimed that 27 US bases were targeted, in addition to Israel’s Tel Nof air base, the Israeli army headquarters in HaKirya in Tel Aviv and a large defense industrial complex in the same city.
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Iranian forces have warned that they will “take another and tough step of retaliation with gradual, regrettable slaps”, signaling the possibility of continued strikes.
Independent verification of the full scope of attacks remains limited.
Iran confirms Khamenei’s killing, declares leader a ‘martyr’
Iran’s state news agencies have confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, hailing him as a “martyr” and calling his killing a defining moment for the Islamic republic.
Tehran also confirmed the deaths of senior officials including Ali Shamkani, Khamenei’s top political adviser and secretary of Iran’s Defense Council, and Mohammad Pakpour, IRGC commander-in-chief.
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the killing “as a great crime” and vowed retaliation, according to a statement released by his office.
The regional reaction is spreading beyond Iran
The fallout spread to neighboring countries, particularly Iraq, where influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr expressed his “sorrow and grief” over Khamenei’s death and declared three days of public mourning.
In Baghdad, protests erupted in the heavily fortified Green Zone – home to government institutions and foreign embassies – with protesters clashing with security forces amid rising anti-American sentiment.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s interior ministry reported eight more injuries related to the Iranian strikes, bringing the total number of casualties since hostilities began to 16.
