Trump warns US may ‘destroy’ Iran as tensions escalate
Photo: REUTERS
US President Donald Trump warned that the US may have to “destroy” the remaining parts of Iran, estimating that rebuilding the nation will take 25 years.
He added that people will “know soon enough” if he decides to act. Following more than eight months of war, he asserted that Washington now controls “everything that we’ve wanted to control” within Iran, declaring that Tehran cannot move forward with its nuclear program “without approval”.
Amid the escalating tension, Qatari mediators have reportedly transmitted a nuclear proposal from Iran to the US. While Washington reviews the submission, Tehran awaits the fulfillment of its seven demands.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a stern warning, cautioning that it will treat any nation aiding the US in renewed strikes against Iran as a “legitimate target”.
Pushing back against the administration, Democratic US Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari of Arizona forcefully denounced Trump’s latest threat to launch further strikes on Iran, designating the move a “crime against humanity”. Writing on X, Ansari said, “He’s once again threatening the annihilation of a country of 90 million people. A crime against humanity.”
Directing her message to fellow lawmakers, Ansari urged Democrats to take immediate action to end what she characterized as Trump’s “reckless war of choice”. She added, “Democrats must work urgently to end Trump’s reckless war of choice when we take back the House and the Senate. Enough is enough.”
She delivered these sharp criticisms after Trump remarked that while he would prefer not to destroy the remainder of Iran.
At the same time, Iranian lawmaker Mahmoud Nabavian declared that the joint US-Israel war against Iran failed to achieve its strategic objectives, arguing that the conflict instead fortified Tehran’s international standing.
In a series of posts on X, Nabavian detailed that Washington and Israel sought to destroy Iran’s civilization, divide the country, overthrow the Islamic Republic, and eliminate its nuclear and missile programs.
He asserted that Iranian resistance and military operations forced US bases in the region to shut down operations, contributed to rising global prices, and politically weakened President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Highlighting Tehran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz as a strategic advantage, the lawmaker claimed the war transformed the country into a “global superpower”.
Moreover, he cautioned against allowing fearful, pro-Western voices to reverse the narrative regarding who won and lost the war. Nabavian issued his statements after Democrats won control of both chambers of the US Congress during Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Source: Al Jazeera (adapted)
