US-Iran Tension Escalates: Donald Trump Warns If Iran Strikes American Assets

By FnF Correspondent | PUBLISHED: 05, Jan 2020, 13:05 pm IST | UPDATED: 06, Jan 2020, 10:50 am IST

Washington: President Donald Trump on Sunday has threatened to hit 52 Iranian sites "very hard" if Iran attacks Americans or U.S. assets. Warning Iran, Trump said if it strikes any Americans or American assets, the US has "targeted 52 Iranian sites" and it "will be hit very fast and very hard." "Let this serve as a warning that if Iran strikes any Americans or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing 52 American hostages taken by Iran many yrs ago), some at a very high level and important to Iran and Iranian culture, will be hit very fast and hard," Trump wrote on Twitter.

He further said that Iran is talking "very boldly" about targeting certain USA assets to seek revenge for Qasem Soleimani, who the US claimed had killed an American, and badly wounded many others. "Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just killed an American, and badly wounded many others, not to mention all of the people he had killed over his lifetime...," he wrote in another tweet.

Trump on Saturday had said that the killing of Soleimani by US military was aimed 'to stop a war, not to start a war.' He also said that Qassem was plotting attacks on US diplomats and military personnel before he was killed.

The attack came just days after Hashd members and supporters attempted to storm the US Embassy in Baghdad, in response to the air attacks against Kataib Hezbollah - a member of the umbrella organisation that operates in Iraq and Syria.

Iran is also observing three days of national mourning in honour of Soleimani who is widely believed to have been the second-most powerful figure in Iran. Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei has promised to exact "harsh revenge" for the targeted killing.

(with inputs from ANI)