Trump Warns Iran May 'Cease to Exist' as Military Tensions Escalate

Military tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz are surging again as the U.S. military's retaliatory airstrikes and Iran's counterattacks have continued for two consecutive days, following Iran's targeting of commercial vessels.

In particular, U.S. President Donald Trump has raised the level of his threats, leaving open the possibility of a large-scale military operation if Iran does not exercise restraint.

As both sides blame each other for the armed clashes, there are concerns that the end-of-war agreement may be in jeopardy, with the follow-up working-level talks—expected as early as June 29—now appearing uncertain.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a statement on June 27 (local time), stating, "We conducted airstrikes against Iran in direct response to their continued attacks on commercial vessels." The command added, "U.S. aircraft struck 10 military targets, including Iranian reconnaissance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense bases, and drone storage facilities."

CENTCOM reported that the airstrikes were carried out under the direction of the commander-in-chief, specifying that the retaliatory strikes were ordered by President Trump.

CENTCOM explained, "After the U.S. conducted airstrikes in retaliation for Iran's attack on the Everly yesterday, Iran was given an opportunity to adhere to the ceasefire agreement. However, Iran rejected this by launching a one-way attack drone at the Kiku on June 28 at 4:30 a.m. Eastern Time."

The Kiku is a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker that was passing near the Strait of Hormuz carrying over 2 million barrels of crude oil.

CENTCOM stated that commercial vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz continues.

"The U.S. military remains vigilant, maintains lethal strike capabilities, and is fully prepared," the command added.

Immediately following the announcement by CENTCOM, President Trump confirmed the U.S. airstrikes on Iran via his social media platform, Truth Social.

President Trump threatened, "There may come a time when we have to militarily finish what we started so successfully. If that happens, Iran will cease to exist."

This is interpreted as an attempt to pressure Iran into restraint by signaling the possibility of a large-scale military attack.

Unlike his recent, relatively measured rhetoric toward Iran, this statement significantly escalates the threat level by suggesting an attack severe enough to cause Iran to cease to exist.

However, despite President Trump's warning, Iran immediately launched missiles and drones targeting Gulf nations where U.S. military bases are located.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had attacked Kuwait and Bahrain with missiles and drones in response to the additional U.S. airstrikes.

In effect, Iran has rejected President Trump's call for restraint, which was backed by high-intensity threats, and responded with counterattacks.

The IRGC claimed that the U.S. airstrikes were a violation of the ceasefire and threatened that if such violations continue, they could suspend negotiations with the United States.

The U.S. and Iran engaged in a similar exchange of fire the previous day.

The U.S. military struck Iranian missile and drone storage facilities in retaliation for Iran's attacks on commercial ships, and Iran responded with an attack on Bahrain.

As the armed conflict between the two sides, triggered by Iran's attacks on commercial vessels, continues for the second day, military tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have soared.

With the military standoff between the two sides escalating, there are concerns that the follow-up negotiations, which were expected to be held in Switzerland as early as June 29, might fall through.

Previously, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on June 24, while on a tour of the Middle East, that follow-up working-level talks between the U.S. and Iran would be held on June 29 or 30 in Switzerland.

While both the U.S. and Iran would likely find it burdensome to scrap the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), it remains unclear whether they can quickly resolve the standoff and proceed with the working-level talks.

Some point out that the armed conflict between the U.S. and Iran is exposing the limitations of the current end-of-war agreement, which was achieved through a low-level MOU.

The U.S. and Iran agreed to an end-of-war MOU centered on the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of U.S. sanctions against Iran, and decided to discuss issues such as Iran's denuclearization and the management of the Strait of Hormuz through follow-up negotiations over 60 days.

However, as major issues, including Iran's denuclearization, were pushed to follow-up negotiations, there were already predictions that reaching an agreement within the short 60-day period would not be easy.

The U.S. and Iran held their first high-level talks in Switzerland on June 21.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.