‘If Iran rebuilds its nuclear program, we’ll strike again’: Trump issues stark warning

Washington/Tel Aviv: US President Donald Trump has issued a sharp warning to Iran, stating that the United States will launch fresh strikes if Tehran attempts to revive its nuclear weapons program.

When asked by reporters whether the US would act again if Iran resumed enriching uranium, Trump responded directly, “Sure.” He emphasized that Iran is not in a position to escalate right now, saying, “The last thing they want to do is enrich anything right now. They want to recover.” Trump further asserted, “They’re not going to have a bomb and they’re not going to enrich.”

Despite the firm stance, Trump also hinted at a potential diplomatic opening, suggesting that “we’ll end up having somewhat of a relationship with Iran.” He also described the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran as a “very equal agreement,” with both sides having “said, ‘That’s enough.’”

Reflecting on the recent conflict, Trump called it a “tremendous victory” for Israel despite acknowledging the severe damage it suffered in the final days of the confrontation. “Israel got hit very hard, especially the last couple of days...Those ballistic missiles, boy, they took out a lot of buildings,” he said, praising Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he “should be very proud of himself.”

Trump’s comments come in the wake of two major targeted killings by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) aimed at crippling Iran’s financial support to proxy terrorist groups.

On Tuesday, the Israeli Air Force (IAF), acting on IDF intelligence, conducted an airstrike in southern Lebanon, eliminating Haytham Abdullah Bakri, the head of the Al-Sadiq Currency Exchange. According to Israeli officials, Bakri played a crucial role in transferring and storing funds from Iran’s Quds Force to Hezbollah, funding arms purchases, operational activities, and salaries.

Just days earlier, the IDF confirmed another high-profile operation inside Iran, killing Behnam Shahriyari, the commander of Quds Force Unit 190. Shahriyari was reportedly responsible for coordinating illicit financial channels that moved hundreds of millions of dollars through complex international networks involving Türkiye, Iraq, the UAE, and Lebanon.

“These two eliminations constitute a severe blow to Iranian financing routes to Hezbollah,” the IDF stated.