Trump says military will ‘completely decimate and destroy’ Iran if he’s assassinated

The US has launched fresh strikes on Iran less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump threatened to “decimate and destroy” the country in the event of his assassination.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a message on X Saturday night saying, “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.”

Central Command confirmed that its forces attacked Iran in retaliation for the nation’s alleged attack on a civilian-crewed container ship in the Strait of Hormuz . The attack comes just hours after Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed revenge for the death of his father at the start of the war.

“Iran was provided yet another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels but has again failed,” Central Command said in a statement. “In response, the United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait. The strikes are being carried out at the direction of the Commander in Chief.”

The attacks come as Trump and Mojtaba Khamenei have been trading blows while negotiators scramble to restart talks after disputes over the Strait of Hormuz.

In the first statement since the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader said revenge for his father's assassination on February 28 “will most certainly be carried out.”

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US Central Command says civilian is missing after container ship attack

U.S. Central Command said a civilian crew member aboard the Cyprus-flagged GFS Galaxy is missing after an alleged attack on the ship by Iranian forces.

The ship’s engine room was heavily damaged during the attack, according to the military.

Graig Graziosi 12 July 2026 02:00

Watch: Trump says Iran wants a deal 'so badly' after US military action

Trump says Iran wants a deal 'so badly' after US military action

Harriette Boucher 12 July 2026 02:00

'Now they pay:' Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth threatens Iran

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth appeared to threaten further destruction in Iran on Saturday evening.

“Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay,” he wrote in a post on X.

Just minutes before his post, U.S. Central Command confirmed it had launched attacks on Iran in retaliation for an alleged Iranian attack on a civilian-crewed container ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

Graig Graziosi 12 July 2026 01:28

U.S. attacks Iran after it allegedly attacked a civilian ship in the Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. Central Command confirmed on Saturday night that its forces launched a third wave of attacks against Iran, this time in retaliation to an alleged Iranian attack on a civilian-crewed container ship.

“A civilian crew member is missing and the vessel is unable to continue the journey due to an onboard fire and significant engineroom damage,” U.S. Central Command said in an X post. “Iran was provided yet another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels but has again failed.”

Graig Graziosi 12 July 2026 01:23

How a vague clause in Trump’s peace deal led to anarchy in the Strait of Hormuz

Foreign reporter Maira Butt writes:

The future of the global economy once again rests on an 100-mile strip of water sandwiched between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

Shipping through the vital waterway has halved following tit-for-tat strikes between the US and Iran this week, shaking the foundations of a sketchy 14-point interim peace deal between the warring nations.

It started when Iran attacked three commercial vessels passing through the Omani corridor of the Strait of Hormuz in overnight attacks on Monday.

The US revoked sanctions relief on Iranian oil sales almost immediately and US Central Command launched a wave of strikes on more than 80 military targets in response, accusing Tehran of violating the ceasefire agreement. Iran retaliated by hitting military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.

Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf accused the US of violating the memo of understanding (MOU), writing on X: “The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.”

The global economy is facing uncertainty after the resumption of hostilities between the US and Iran. Experts tell Maira Butt that negotiators must go back to the drawing board on the strait if disruption is to be avoided

Harriette Boucher 12 July 2026 01:00

ICYMI: Iran's supreme leader pledges revenge for slain father and predecessor

Iran's supreme leader ​Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has threatened vengeance for the death of his predecessor and father, but added that it would depend not only on Iran but also on "free people around the world".

In the supreme leader's first public message since funeral ceremonies for his father began a week ago, the statement read on state television said that vengeance was "the demand of the nation" and "must certainly" take place.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed ⁠in a US-Israeli airstrike on February 28, ​at ⁠the start of the war.

"We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced killers,” the statement said.

Mojtaba Khamenei, ​who ⁠senior sources have said suffered facial ‌disfigurement and other injuries in the strike, has not been seen by Iranians since he was appointed supreme leader on March 8.

"Whether we are there or not, this will be accomplished, and soon every free person around the world will fulfill a part of this divine mission," the statement said.

Harriette Boucher 12 July 2026 00:00

US gave Iran Saturday deadline to declare Strait of Hormuz open

The US asked Iran to publicly state it will stop attacks on ships ​in the Strait of Hormuz and that all lanes in the strait will be open to ‌shipping with no tolls in 24 hours, according to a report by Axios.

Washington warned that failure to do so would bring “serious consequences", adding that contingency plans are already in place if diplomacy fails.

“The message has been conveyed directly and through regional mediators," Axios reported, citing US officials. One official warned, “If it is not their position [tomorrow], it is not gonna be a great day for them."

Harriette Boucher 11 July 2026 23:00

Comment: Trump’s right that Iran wants a deal – but he is far more desperate for one

The US president resumed bombing in Iran after labelling the country ‘scum’ at this week’s Nato summit. Name-calling might make him feel better – but it doesn’t change the fact that his opponent holds the cards in the Strait of Hormuz, writes Jon Sopel.

Trump’s right that Iran wants a deal – but he is far more desperate for one

The US president resumed bombing in Iran after labelling the country ‘scum’ at this week’s Nato summit. Name-calling might make him feel better – but it doesn’t change the fact that his opponent holds the cards in the Strait of Hormuz, writes Jon Sopel

Harriette Boucher 11 July 2026 22:00

US in Lebanon to discuss 'pilot zone' withdrawal - report

A US military delegation is in Beirut discuss the implementation of Israel's withdrawal from one of the "pilot zones" in an occupied territory.

A Lebanese military official told AFP that the delegation will “discuss the mechanisms for implementing the first pilot zone from which the Israelis will withdraw, allowing the Lebanese army to deploy

"This is the main objective the American military delegation is bringing to Lebanon. ... It is the translation and implementation of the framework agreement."

​The first so-called pilot zone ⁠in Lebanon, in which the Lebanese army ⁠will ​assume ⁠control of ⁠an area now ​occupied by ⁠Israeli ‌forces, will launch in "a ‌matter of days," ‌with further zones ⁠being mapped out and planned.

Harriette Boucher 11 July 2026 21:00

Trump has ‘left instructions’ if he’s assassinated by Iran, he reveals

Senior US reporter Alex Woodward writes:

After spending several days labeling himself Iran’s “No. 1 target” and warning that he is under constant threat of assassination, President Donald Trump stressed that he left his advisers specific instructions should anything ever happen to him.

“I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before,” he told The New York Post on Friday.

Trump has repeatedly indicated that he wants the U.S. military to destroy the country should Iranian officials follow through on alleged plans to assassinate the president.

While signing an executive order threatening “maximum pressure” against the regime in February 2025, the president said the country “would be obliterated” if he is killed.

“I’ve left instructions if they do it, they get obliterated, there won’t be anything left,” he said at the time.

Trump swatted away reports that Israel identified a fresh Iranian plot to kill the president, but his latest remarks follow a series of statements and mysterious security measures after leaving this week’s NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where he repeatedly said he was at the top of Iran’s kill list and even told reporters they could be on a “dangerous flight” back home as a ceasefire in the months-long war collapsed.

The president repeats a threat to destroy Iran should anything happen to him as a ceasefire collapse in the months-long US war

Harriette Boucher 11 July 2026 20:00