Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Trump to Iran: Don't Threaten US or It Will Face 'Official End'
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
May 20, 2019

Share

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — President Donald Trump warned Iran early Monday not to threaten the United States again or it would face its “official end,” shortly after a rocket landed near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad overnight and only 48 hours after he seemingly sought to soften his tone.

Iran’s foreign minister quickly responded in kind on Twitter with his own message: #NeverThreatenAnIranian.

Trump’s tweet follows days of heightened tension sparked by his administration’s sudden deployment of bombers and an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf over still-unspecified threats. While his dueling approach of flattery and battery has become a hallmark of his presidency’s foreign policy, the risks have only grown in dealing with Iran, where four decades of mistrust between Tehran and Washington precede him.

In the time since, officials in the United Arab Emirates allege four oil tankers sustained damage in a sabotage attack. Yemeni rebels allied with Iran launched a drone attack on an oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia. U.S. diplomats relayed a warning that commercial airlines could be misidentified by Iran and attacked, something dismissed by Tehran.

All these tensions are the culmination of Trump’s decision a year ago to pull America out of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. And while both Washington and Tehran say they don’t seek war, many worry any miscalculation at this fraught moment could spiral out of control.

Neither Trump Nor White House Elaborated

The tweet from Trump early Monday came just hours after a Katyusha rocket fell in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone near the statue of the Unknown Soldier, less than a mile from the U.S. Embassy, causing no injuries. Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul told The Associated Press the rocket was believed to have been fired from east Baghdad. The area is home to Iran-backed Shiite militias.

“If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!” — President Donald Trump

“If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran,” Trump tweeted. “Never threaten the United States again!”

Trump did not elaborate, nor did the White House.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif posted his own message Monday on Twitter, saying Trump had been “goaded” into “genocidal taunts.” Zarif namechecked both Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan as two historical leaders that Persia outlasted.

“Iranians have stood tall for a millennia while aggressors all gone,” he wrote. He ended his tweet with: “Try respect – it works!”

Trump campaigned on pulling the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear accord, which saw Iran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Since the withdrawal, the U.S. has re-imposed previous sanctions and come up with new ones, as well as warned nations around the world they would be subject to sanctions as well if they import Iranian oil.

Trump Called Nuclear Deal a Horror Show

Iran just announced it would begin backing away from terms of the deal, setting a 60-day deadline for Europe to come up with new terms or it would begin enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels. Tehran long has insisted it does not seek nuclear weapons, though the West fears its program could allow it to build atomic bombs.

In an interview aired Sunday on the Fox News Channel, Trump called the nuclear deal a “horror show.”

“I just don’t want them to have nuclear weapons and they can’t be threatening us,” Trump said.

However, the nuclear deal had kept Iran from being able to acquire enough highly enriched uranium for a bomb. U.N. inspectors repeatedly certified that Iran was in compliance with the accord.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told journalists in Geneva that Iran should not doubt the U.S.’ resolve, warning that “if American interests are attacked, they will retaliate.”

“We want the situation to de-escalate because this is a part of the world where things can get triggered accidentally,” Hunt said.

Saudi Government Has yet to Acknowledge Missile Fire

In Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s military intercepted two missiles fired by the Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen. The missiles were intercepted over the city of Taif and the Red Sea port city of Jiddah, the Saudi-owned satellite channel Al-Arabiya reported.

The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet on Sunday announced it would begin “enhanced security patrols” in international waters with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The channel cited witnesses for the information. The Saudi government has yet to acknowledge the missile fire, which other Saudi media also reported.

Hundreds of rockets, mortars and ballistic missiles have been fired into the kingdom since a Saudi-led coalition declared war on the Houthis in March 2015 to support Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet on Sunday announced it would begin “enhanced security patrols” in international waters with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Already, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge and others are in the Arabian Sea, waters close to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a third of all oil traded at sea passes.

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Bakersfield to Host Sanders and AOC in ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ Event

DON'T MISS

Jaguar and Land Rover Maker Pauses Shipments to US as It Develops Post-Tariff Plans

DON'T MISS

China Hit Brakes on TikTok Deal After Trump Announced Wide-Ranging Tariffs

DON'T MISS

Shohei Ohtani Throws Second Bullpen Since Resuming Mound Ramp Up

DON'T MISS

Visalia Traffic Stop Nets $30K in Xanax, Marijuana

DON'T MISS

Fresno Joins Global Protest Against Donald Trump and Elon Musk

DON'T MISS

2 US Border Inspectors Charged With Taking Bribes to Wave in People Without Documents

DON'T MISS

The Latest: Trump’s Tariffs Unleash Trade War and Calls for Negotiations

DON'T MISS

Phone Footage Appears to Contradict Israel’s Account in Troops’ Killing of 15 Palestinian Medics

DON'T MISS

Trump and Netanyahu to Discuss Gaza Crisis and Tariffs at Upcoming Meeting

UP NEXT

Phone Footage Appears to Contradict Israel’s Account in Troops’ Killing of 15 Palestinian Medics

UP NEXT

Russia Says Trump’s Threats Against Iran Could Trigger ‘Global Catastrophe’

UP NEXT

The NBA’s Playoff Chase Enters Its Final Days. Here’s a Look at What’s Happening

UP NEXT

USC’s JuJu Watkins Named AP Player of the Year After Historic Sophomore Season

UP NEXT

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman Lands on Injured List Following Fall in His Shower at Home

UP NEXT

How Trump’s Latest Tariffs Could Affect Your Wallet

UP NEXT

Curry Scores 37 Points and Warriors Beat Lakers in a Potential First-Round Playoff Preview

UP NEXT

Israeli Military Orders New Evacuation of Gaza City Neighborhoods

UP NEXT

China Halts Approvals for New US Investment Projects

UP NEXT

Measles Spreads to Central Texas; 5 States Have Active Outbreaks

Shohei Ohtani Throws Second Bullpen Since Resuming Mound Ramp Up

15 hours ago

Visalia Traffic Stop Nets $30K in Xanax, Marijuana

16 hours ago

Fresno Joins Global Protest Against Donald Trump and Elon Musk

16 hours ago

2 US Border Inspectors Charged With Taking Bribes to Wave in People Without Documents

17 hours ago

The Latest: Trump’s Tariffs Unleash Trade War and Calls for Negotiations

18 hours ago

Phone Footage Appears to Contradict Israel’s Account in Troops’ Killing of 15 Palestinian Medics

19 hours ago

Trump and Netanyahu to Discuss Gaza Crisis and Tariffs at Upcoming Meeting

19 hours ago

Trump Doubles Down That Tariffs Will Pay Off for Americans

19 hours ago

Senate GOP Approves Trump’s Tax Breaks and Spending Cuts After Late-Night Session

20 hours ago

How Schools Can Help Students Facing Homelessness Get to Class

20 hours ago

Bakersfield to Host Sanders and AOC in ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ Event

Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are set to address supporters in Bakersfield, California, on Tuesday, Apr...

14 hours ago

14 hours ago

Bakersfield to Host Sanders and AOC in ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ Event

14 hours ago

Jaguar and Land Rover Maker Pauses Shipments to US as It Develops Post-Tariff Plans

14 hours ago

China Hit Brakes on TikTok Deal After Trump Announced Wide-Ranging Tariffs

15 hours ago

Shohei Ohtani Throws Second Bullpen Since Resuming Mound Ramp Up

A Visalia traffic stop on Friday, April 4, 2025, for tinted windows led to the arrest of a 22-year-old man after police found $30,000 worth of Xanax pills and a pound of marijuana in his vehicle. (Visalia PD)
16 hours ago

Visalia Traffic Stop Nets $30K in Xanax, Marijuana

16 hours ago

Fresno Joins Global Protest Against Donald Trump and Elon Musk

17 hours ago

2 US Border Inspectors Charged With Taking Bribes to Wave in People Without Documents

18 hours ago

The Latest: Trump’s Tariffs Unleash Trade War and Calls for Negotiations

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend