Amid escalating tensions, United States President Donald Trump has warned Iran’s forces to lay down their weapons or face death.
Trump issued the warning via a video posted on social media.
The US President also disclosed in details the reason behind the strike in Iran.
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating eminent threats from the Iranian regime,” Trump said, calling Iran “a vicious group of very hard, terrible people” whose activities “directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world”.
Trump highlighted decades of hostility from Iran, citing the 1979 takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran, the 1983 Beirut Marine barracks bombing, and attacks on US military personnel and naval vessels over the years.
“It’s been mass terror and we’re not going to put up with it any longer,” he said, referencing Iranian-backed militias from Lebanon to Yemen.
The President further condemned Iran’s role in the October 7 attacks on Israel, which killed over 1,000 civilians, including 46 Americans.
“It was brutal, something like the world has never seen before,” he said.
Trump emphasized the US determination to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, citing Operation Midnight Hammer last June, in which he said US forces “obliterated the regime’s nuclear program at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.”
He accused Iran of repeatedly rejecting opportunities to renounce its nuclear ambitions.
“Just imagine how emboldened this regime would be if they ever had and actually were armed with nuclear weapons,” he warned.
The President detailed the ongoing military campaign: “We are going to destroy their missiles and raise their missile industry to the ground…We are going to annihilate their navy, we are going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world.”
Trump addressed US troops directly, acknowledging the risks involved: “The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties…But we’re doing this not for now, we’re doing this for the future and it is a noble mission. We pray for every service member as they selflessly risk their lives to ensure that Americans and our children will never be threatened by a nuclear armed Iran.”
To Iranian forces, he issued a stark warning: “You must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity. Or in the alternative, face certain death.”
He also addressed the Iranian people, urging them to seize the moment for change: “America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force…Now is the time to seize control of your destiny and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach.
“May God bless the brave men and women of America’s armed forces, may God bless the United States of America, may God bless you all,” Trump said.
Lay down your weapons or face death – Trump warns Iranian forces
