Tehran has issued a fresh warning of “crushing” attacks against the US and Israel, as strikes enter a fifth consecutive week.
This marks the latest escalation in a growing war of words and military posturing.
The threat came just hours after Donald Trump said the US would strike Iran “extremely hard” within the next two to three weeks, intensifying an already volatile standoff.
The back-and-forth dates to 21 March, when Trump warned American forces would “obliterate” Iranian power plants if Tehran failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
In response, a strike was reported near Dimona, a town associated with Israel’s undeclared nuclear programme.
Iran maintained that the vital shipping route remains open to nations not involved in attacks against it.
Diplomatic signals briefly emerged on 23 March, when Trump claimed the US and Iran had held a “very good and productive conversation,” delaying planned strikes on energy infrastructure by five days.
That pause was later extended to 10 days on 26 March, which Trump said followed a request from Tehran.
However, tensions surged again on 31 March when Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened US tech companies operating in the Middle East, including Microsoft, Apple, and IBM.
Trump dismissed the warning, telling reporters he doubted Iran’s capabilities, joking they might resort to using “BB guns.”
