Trump Threatens The Existence Of Iran Amidst Fragile Ceasefire

US President Donald Trump has issued a severe threat against Iran’s very existence as fresh exchanges of strikes between Washington and Tehran put a fragile ceasefire agreement under serious strain.

“United States aircraft just struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“It is very possible that they will never learn! There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started.

“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”

The alarming statement is not without precedent.

Earlier this year, Trump made similarly pointed warnings while pushing Tehran toward the negotiating table.

In April, he threatened that Iran’s “whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

When subsequently pressed on the remark, Trump replied that he was “fine with it.”

Related: Iran Orders Restoration Of Global Internet Access After Nearly 90-Day Shutdown

The comments drew sharp condemnation from Democratic lawmakers, with some labeling the threats “pure evil,” others accusing the president of threatening war crimes and genocide, and several calling for his removal from office.

Trump’s latest post preceded retaliatory strikes launched by Iran on Kuwait and Bahrain on Sunday, with Tehran accusing the United States of being the first to violate the ceasefire terms.

 No casualties were reported from those strikes. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a stern warning that any further American military action would trigger the “complete halt of all diplomatic processes.”

Tensions had already been building on other fronts. On Thursday, Iran attacked a Singapore-flagged cargo ship near the Omani coastline, causing damage to the vessel’s starboard side and bridge.

No crew members were harmed, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center, a body affiliated with the British Royal Navy.

The United States Central Command (Centcom) disclosed on Saturday that it had conducted additional strikes against Iranian targets following an assault on a Panama-flagged oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Centcom, the vessel identified as M/T Kiku was struck by a one-way drone at approximately 4:30 a.m. while transiting the strait with over 2 million barrels of crude oil aboard.

Amid the escalating confrontations, Iran moved to reassert its control over the Strait of Hormuz, announcing on Friday that vessels wishing to pass through safely must coordinate with Iranian authorities.

The country outlined a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MOU), under which ships would be guaranteed safe passage without paying any toll, a condition the Trump administration has consistently maintained would constitute a violation of international law.

Both the United States and Iran had electronically signed that same 14-point MOU, which extended the pause on hostilities for 60 days to allow negotiations over ending the conflict, the future of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and the restoration of free navigation through the strait.

Despite the agreement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi cautioned that any “interference in this matter… will only lead to further complications, delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and increase the level of tension, just as over the past two nights we witnessed incidents in the Strait of Hormuz that led to an increase in tension and confrontation.”