US and Iran exchange more airstrikes, fuelling fears of wider return to hostilities | US-Israel war on Iran
US politics | The Guardian — 2026-09-01 20:06:00 — www.theguardian.com
Trump Threatens Iran With Escalating Military Action Amid Widening Conflict
As tensions escalate between the United States and Iran, Donald Trump has issued a stark warning, vowing that if Iran retaliates against recent U.S. airstrikes, “they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
This threat follows a series of U.S. airstrikes on Iranian targets and subsequent Iranian missile attacks on American interests in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, and Iraq. The situation has raised concerns about a broader regional conflict, with both sides exchanging military and economic blows.
Trump’s History of Extreme Threats
The excerpt highlights that Trump has previously made threats that, if carried out, could constitute war crimes. These include statements about destroying critical civilian infrastructure, bombing Iran “back to the Stone Ages,” and an April threat that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if a peace deal was not reached. Such rhetoric has drawn international criticism and heightened fears of indiscriminate violence.
Fact-Checking Trump’s Claims and Rhetoric
Trump’s repeated threats of overwhelming force and destruction go beyond standard diplomatic warnings and have been widely condemned as dangerous escalations. The excerpt does not provide evidence that these threats are based on credible intelligence or legitimate military necessity, and targeting civilian infrastructure is prohibited under international law.
Conclusion
Trump’s aggressive posture and extreme threats against Iran mark a continuation of his pattern of inflammatory statements and disregard for established norms of warfare. As the conflict intensifies, the international community remains watchful of the potential consequences of such rhetoric, which risks further destabilizing the region and undermining efforts toward a peaceful resolution.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/01/us-iran-airstrikes-launch