Washington, United States. U.S. President Donald Trump insulted Iran’s leaders and said it was his great honor to kill them as heavy drone and missile exchanges continued in the Middle East on Friday, nearing the two-week mark.
Trump’s remarks and social media post
Trump described Iran’s leaders as “deranged scumbags” and said the U.S. was “totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran” in a late Friday social media post.
“We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time – Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today,” Trump said.
“They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honor it is to do so!” he added.
Conflict timeline and impact
The conflict began with joint Israeli-U.S. strikes on Iran at the end of February, according to the report.
It has killed more than 2,000 people, disrupted the lives of millions of others, and shaken energy and financial markets across the globe.
Iran’s new supreme leader issues warnings
New Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in his first comments on Thursday, vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and urged neighboring countries to close U.S. bases on their territory or risk Iran targeting them.
“I assure everyone that we will not neglect avenging the blood of your martyrs,” said Khamenei, a hardline cleric who replaced his father after he was killed in Israel’s initial strikes.
His comments were read out by a television presenter, and it was not clear why he did not appear in person. Iranian officials have said he had been lightly wounded, and Trump has said he thinks Khamenei is alive but “damaged”.
How do you think the conflict could affect global energy and financial markets in the coming weeks?
