US-Iran War: Trump Threatens to “Blow Up the Whole Country”; IRGC Warns of Wider War

Washington/Tehran,  US President Donald Trump issued a fresh threat on Sunday to destroy all of Iran. According to Fox News reporter Trey Yingst, Trump said the question is whether “if and when” Tehran fails to accept his demands, it will be necessary to “blow up the whole country,” adding that “they’d better be friendly.” Yingst said the president listed three paths: wiping Iran off the map, leaving it to rot economically, or reaching a deal. The two sides appear far from an agreement, though mediation led by Pakistan and Qatar continues.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that if the US attacks again, Tehran will change its weapons and the “geography of war.” Spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said on television Sunday evening that Iran’s defensive and offensive operations would “change significantly and the world will be surprised,” adding that Iran has marked new targets not yet attacked. He said Iran was prepared for a long war, that the IRGC had made no contact with the US, and that the armed forces had taken no part in diplomacy. He also claimed US dominance in the region was over. The remarks come amid tensions over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil consumption passed before the war.
Trump’s threat comes as he faces poor poll numbers over the war. A Fox News survey found 71% of Americans believe he has no plan to end it. Six in 10 voters say that, in hindsight, starting the war was the wrong decision, more than four in 10 think it will make America less safe, while 32% say it will be safer. Ahead of the midterms, cost of living and inflation top voters’ concerns, with petrol prices above $4 a gallon nationwide.
Pentagon estimates put war costs in the tens of billions of dollars, and stocks of Tomahawk missiles and THAAD interceptors are running low, raising concern among allies such as Ukraine. Fighting has also resumed between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia. US and Houthi officials met in Oman last week and reaffirmed that American and neutral ships will not be targeted as long as Washington stays out.
Separately, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, called for a regional security framework bringing together Gulf states and Iran, describing the war as a “wake-up call.” “Iran is our neighbour,” he said, adding that Doha will continue mediating. He also announced a “Doha Investment” platform to expand the Qatar Investment Authority’s domestic portfolio. Qatar expects to issue about $38.5 billion in infrastructure tenders over five years, along with $22.5 billion in private investment in real estate and hospitality.