President Donald Trump issued a blistering warning to Iran early Friday, vowing overwhelming force against what he called the regimeās āderanged scumbagsā as tensions continue to escalate.
According to the New York Post, the message, posted shortly after midnight on Truth Social, came hours after two violent incidents in the United States and just after Iranās Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei delivered his first public remarks following a major U.S.-Israeli military operation.
āWe are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise, yet, if you read the Failing New York Times, you would incorrectly think that we are not winning,ā Trump wrote.
āIranās Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth.ā
Trump followed with another stark warning.
āWatch what happens to these deranged scumbags today,ā he wrote.
āTheyāve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honor it is to do so! Thank you for your attention to this matter.ā
Trumpās comments came as Israel announced it had launched a āwide-scale wave of strikesā across Iran.
The Israeli military said the attacks targeted an underground ballistic missile facility, an air defense base, and multiple command centers.
Meanwhile, Khamenei struck a defiant tone during his remarks, warning that Iran could seek compensation from its enemies.
āIf it refuses, we will take from its assets to the extent we deem appropriate, and if that is not possible, we will destroy its assets to the same extent,ā Khamenei said.
Some analysts believe the speech may have been intended to encourage supporters abroad to carry out attacks.
āThese are desperate measures by a collapsing regime that sees no other choice but to escalate,ā Khosro Isfahani, research director for the National Union for Democracy in Iran, told The Post.
Questions also remain about the Iranian leaderās whereabouts following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei.
Despite speculation about Mojtaba Khameneiās fate, Trump said he believes the Iranian leader is still alive.
āI think he probably is. I think heās damaged, but I think heās probably alive in some form,ā Trump said in an interview with Fox News Radio host Brian Kilmeade.