United States President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to obliterate parts of Iran if it attacked “anything American” after Tehran said the latest US sanctions had scuttled any chance of diplomacy, calling White House actions “mentally retarded”. Trump on Monday signed an executive order imposing sanctions against Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, with punitive measures against Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expected later this week. The moves came after Iran shot down a US drone on June 20 and Trump called off a retaliatory air strike minutes before impact, saying too many people would have been killed. According to Reuters, it would have been the first time the United States had bombed the Islamic Republic in four decades of mutual hostility. On Tuesday, however, Trump tweeted: “Any attack by Iran on anything American will be met with great and overwhelming force.

Source: Nigerian Tribune June 25, 2019 15:56 UTC