Hours after Israeli airstrikes killed several Iranian top commanders, US President Donald Trump on Friday warned Iran to make a deal “before it is too late.” He stated that the US makes the “best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the world”, and Israel has “a lot of it.”
In a statement shared on Truth Social, Trump stated, “I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to “just do it,” but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done. I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come – And they know how to use it. Certain Iranian hardliner’s spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen.”
“They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse! There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. God Bless You All,” he added.
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114675456780398208
Trump’s statement comes amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran.
Earlier in the day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a post on X that the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, the Commander of the IRGC, and the Commander of Iran’s Emergency Command were all eliminated in Israeli strikes across Iran carried out by more than 200 fighter jets.
“We can now confirm that the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Commander of the IRGC and the Commander of Iran’s Emergency Command were all eliminated in the Israeli strikes across Iran by more than 200 fighter jets. These are three ruthless mass murderers with international blood on their hands. The world is a better place without them,” the IDF stated. The statement comes as Israel has launched a “precise, preemptive strike” in Iran, the spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Force has said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday announced the launch of a large-scale military campaign, Operation Rising Lion, aimed at dismantling what he described as an existential threat posed by Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Netanyahu said Israel had struck multiple high-value Iranian targets in a decisive first strike.
“Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival,” he said, adding that the mission would continue “for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
The Israeli leader accused Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapons programme in defiance of global warnings, pointing to enriched uranium stockpiles capable of producing multiple nuclear bombs.
“In recent years, Iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine atom bombs. Nine,” he noted, warning that Tehran had taken “steps to weaponise this enriched uranium” and could develop a nuclear weapon within months.
Netanyahu likened the current moment to the prelude to World War II, referencing the Holocaust and past global inaction in the face of rising threats.
“Eighty years ago, the Jewish people were the victims of a holocaust perpetrated by the Nazi regime. Today, the Jewish state refuses to be a victim of a nuclear holocaust perpetrated by the Iranian regime,” he said.
Reaffirming Israel’s red lines, Netanyahu declared: “Now, as Prime Minister, I’ve made it clear time and again. Israel will never allow those who call for our annihilation to develop the means to achieve that goal. Tonight, Israel backs those words with action.”
He elaborated on the targets, stating, “We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme. We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear weaponization programme. We targeted Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz. We targeted Iran’s leading nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb. We also struck at the heart of Iran’s ballistic missile programme.”
He cited growing threats from Iran’s missile development as a catalyst for action. “Last year, Iran fired 300 ballistic missiles at Israel. Each of these missiles carries a tonne of explosives and threatens the lives of hundreds of people. Soon, those missiles could carry a nuclear payload, threatening the lives not of hundreds, but of millions. Iran is gearing up to produce 10,000 of those ballistic missiles within three years. Now just imagine, imagine 10,000 tonnes of TNT landing on a country the size of New Jersey. This is an intolerable threat. It must be stopped.”
Netanyahu said Iran’s “new plan to destroy Israel” involved surrounding the country with regional proxies and launching direct attacks, including the October 7th incident. “But the people of Israel, the soldiers of Israel rose like lions to defend our country. We crushed Hamas. We devastated Hezbollah. We hit Iranian proxies in Syria and Yemen. And when Iran directly attacked us twice last year, we struck back inside Iran itself. Yet in defending ourselves, we also defend others.”
He stated that Israel’s actions extended beyond its borders. “We defend our Arab neighbours. They too have suffered from Iran’s campaign of chaos and carnage. Our actions against Iran’s proxy Hezbollah led to the establishment of a new government in Lebanon and the collapse of Assad’s murderous regime in Syria. The peoples of those two countries now have a chance for a different future, a better future.”
Reaching out to Iranians, he said, “Our fight is not with you. Our fight is with the brutal dictatorship that has oppressed you for 46 years. I believe that the day of your liberation is near. And when that happens, the great friendship between our two ancient peoples will flourish once again.”
Netanyahu further warned of Iran’s broader global threat. “We will not let the world’s most dangerous regime get the world’s most dangerous weapons. And Iran plans to give those weapons, nuclear weapons, to its terrorist proxies. That would make the nightmare of nuclear terrorism all too real. The increasing range of Iran’s ballistic missiles would bring that nuclear nightmare to the cities of Europe and eventually to America.” (ANI)
