Iran threatens devastating attacks on US and Israel after Trump vows to bomb the country, escalating a Middle East war with global economic fallout.
TEHRAN: Iran has threatened “crushing” attacks on the US and Israel following a stark warning from US President Donald Trump.
In a prime-time address, Trump said the US was “very close” to achieving its objectives but warned attacks would intensify. “Over the next two to three weeks, we are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong,” he stated.
Iran’s military command centre Khatam Al-Anbiya issued an immediate response carried on state TV. It warned the US and Israel to expect “more crushing, broader, and more destructive actions”.
The statement vowed the war would continue “until your humiliation, disgrace, permanent and certain regret, and surrender”. Iran subsequently fired missiles at Tel Aviv, with Israeli police responding to several impact sites.
Four people were reportedly lightly injured in the Tel Aviv area. The attacks coincided with Passover celebrations, forcing some residents into bunkers.
Trump recently raised the possibility of a deal to end the war, which has hurt his approval ratings and global fuel prices. He described Iran’s new leadership as “less radical and much more reasonable” than their predecessors.
Tehran has dismissed Washington’s ceasefire overtures, however. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described US demands as “maximalist and irrational”.
“Messages have been received through intermediaries, including Pakistan, but there is no direct negotiation with the US,” Baqaei was quoted as saying.
Trump warned that without an agreement, Washington had “our eyes on key targets including the country’s electric generating plants”. Pro-government Iranians voiced defiance at a funeral in Tehran for a commander killed in an Israeli strike.
“This war has lasted a month. However long it takes, we will continue,” said Moussa Nowruzi, a 57-year-old pensioner. “We will resist until the end.”
The conflict has drawn in other regional actors, with Hezbollah launching attacks from Lebanon. Authorities in Lebanon say Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,300 people there since the war erupted.
Air defences in the United Arab Emirates also responded to missile and drone “threats” on Thursday. Trump vowed the United States would not allow allies in the region to “get hurt or fail in any way, shape or form”.
The war has highlighted the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping lane. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have vowed to keep it shut to the country’s “enemies”.
Britain will lead a summit of 35 countries later Thursday to discuss restoring freedom of navigation there. Trump’s speech triggered market volatility, spiking oil prices and tumbling stocks.
Analyst Stephen Innes said the message was “unmistakably one of unfinished business”. “And in markets, unfinished business is oxygen for volatility,” he added.
The World Bank’s Managing Director Paschal Donohoe said the institution was “extremely concerned” about the war’s impact on inflation, jobs and food security.
The economic impact is being felt globally, from Chinese airlines hiking fuel surcharges to Malaysian civil servants working from home. Even landlocked Bhutan is experiencing fuel shortages and price hikes.
“I don’t know what to say. It’s not like our government is responsible,” said Karma Kalden, a resident of the capital Thimphu. “We are helpless.”