U.S. President Donald Trump recently issued a stern warning to Iran, stating that the U.S. will hit “harder than they have ever hit before,” if Iran continues to retaliate.
Following Iran’s counterattacks, Trump cautioned that further attacks would have serious consequences.
“Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE! Thank you for your attention to this matter!” the president wrote on Truth Social.
“Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE! Thank you for your attention to this matter!” – President… pic.twitter.com/w8uwRA1x5R
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 1, 2026
In a phone interview with CBS News published on February 28, Trump said that the retaliatory response from Iran was expected. Iran reportedly launched strikes across the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia after Khamenei’s killing.
“It’s what we expected,” he said, adding, “We thought it’d be double. Thus far, it’s been less than we thought.”
For those unfamiliar, on Saturday, February 28, the U.S., alongside Israel, launched Operation Epic Fury, “a broad & joint operation” to “thoroughly degrade the Iranian terrorist regime and to remove existential threats to Israel over time,” wrote the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in an X post.
“The Iranian regime has not abandoned its plan to destroy Israel. The regime has continued financing, training, and arming its proxies positioned on Israel’s borders. These actions constitute an existential threat to Israel and pose a danger to the Middle East and the world as a whole,” they added.
Later, Trump announced that the strikes also killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and called him “one of the most evil people in History.”
“This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS,” the POTUS wrote on Truth Social.
He continued, “He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do. This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.”
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei…” – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/oXZTFGg5pS
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 28, 2026
According to multiple outlets, after Ali Khamenei‘s death, the country began 40 days of mourning, as Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian described the killing as “a great crime.” He also declared seven days of public holiday.
In addition to the Supreme Leader, his daughter, son-in-law and grandchild were also killed, multiple outlets report.
