President Trump threatened Sunday to hit Iran with the kind of force it “has never seen before” as Iran retaliated against joint, U.S.-Israel military strikes that killed its supreme leader.
Mr. Trump, posting on social media, warned that Tehran was looking for vengeance after his military strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials.
“Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social, before switching to all-caps for emphasis to write: “They better not do that, however, because they do, we will hit them with a force that has never been seen before!”
Mr. Trump is monitoring the daring operation from his South Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, rather than from Washington.
The president made an appearance at a Republican fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago late Saturday. Otherwise, he’s been out of the public eye as the Middle East descends into turmoil, relying instead on posts through his social media platform, Truth Social, to address the situation.
Mr. Trump told The Atlantic on Sunday that he planned to speak to Iranian leaders, though it was unclear when.
“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” Mr. Trump said. “They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long.”
“Some of the people we were dealing with are gone, because that was a big— that was a big hit,” the president said.
Mr. Trump posted a video statement early Saturday to announce the initial strikes against Iran, which stems from his desire to prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon and supporting terror groups in the region.
Also Sunday, Mr. Trump said the military operations were proceeding “ahead of schedule.”
“It’s a very violent regime, one of the most violent regimes in history,” Mr. Trump told CNBC’s Joe Kernen on Sunday. “We’re doing our job not just for us but for the world. And everything is ahead of schedule.”
Normally, Mr. Trump should spend a portion of his Florida weekend golfing at his club in West Palm Beach. Instead, Mr. Trump is meeting with his security team and speaking to foreign leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
It was unclear if Mr. Trump planned to appear in public on Sunday before returning to Washington in the evening.
Sen. Tom Cotton, Arkansas Republican, defended Mr. Trump’s approach when CBS’ “Face the Nation” pressed him on whether Mr. Trump owed the public something more than a video.
“I think an eight-minute address to the American people, whether the president posted on social media or whether it happens on your network, is in keeping with presidential custom of addressing the American people,” he said. “I’m sure that he’s going to be speaking more in coming days.”
Saturday’s barrage from the U.S. and Israel sparked reprisals from Tehran against U.S. bases in the Middle East. The Islamic Republic also attacked Israel and Middle East locations such as Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
The U.S. and Israel confirmed its first casualties from the burgeoning conflict on Sunday, including three American service members.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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