By Opeyemi Adelakun
United States President Donald Trump has threatened the existence of Iran, warning that the Islamic Republic could “no longer exist” if it continues to violate a fragile ceasefire agreement with the United States.
Trump made the remark in a post on Truth Social after confirming that U.S. aircraft had carried out fresh strikes on Iranian missile and drone storage facilities, as well as coastal radar sites.
“United States aircraft just struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!” Trump wrote.
“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 latest warning echoes Trump’s earlier remarks in April, when he threatened that Iran’s “whole civilization will die” if tensions escalated. The comments drew widespread criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who accused him of promoting war crimes and genocide.
Trump’s latest statement came before Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain on Sunday, accusing the United States of violating the ceasefire. No casualties were reported.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that further U.S. attacks would lead to the complete suspension of all diplomatic engagements.
The escalation follows a series of attacks in the Gulf region. Iran reportedly struck a Singapore-flagged cargo vessel near the coast of Oman on Thursday, damaging the ship but causing no injuries.
On Saturday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced additional strikes on Iranian targets after a Panama-flagged oil tanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil was hit by a one-way drone near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has also reaffirmed its control over the Strait of Hormuz, warning that ships would only enjoy safe passage if they coordinated with Iranian authorities. Tehran insisted that vessels would not be required to pay tolls under a newly signed 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The United States has maintained that any attempt by Iran to impose tolls on ships transiting the strategic waterway would violate international law.
Both countries recently signed the 14-point MoU electronically, extending a 60-day pause in hostilities to allow negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and guarantee unrestricted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that external interference would complicate negotiations, delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and further escalate regional tensions.
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