President Donald Trump warned Iranian President Hassan Rouhani not to threaten the United States or face the consequences in a scathing tweet last night.
The post, which was written in all capitals, came just hours after Rouhani told Trump that hostile policies toward Tehran could lead to “the mother of all wars.”
In a late night Twitter message, Trump wrote: “NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE.
“WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!”
Iran has faced increased US pressure and looming sanctions following Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from a 2015 international deal over Iran’s nuclear program.
Here is the latest news and live updates on the Iran v US war of words.
8.27am update: Trump’s words come just weeks after Free Iran rally where two senior advisors condemned Rouhani
Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trump’s personal lawyer and close friend, issued a stern warning to the Iranian regime earlier this month during a speech at the Free Iran: The Alternative rally in Paris.
The former New York mayor said: “Just a few months ago, the President of the United States—about whom there’s a lot of controversy, about whether he should tweet or not—took out his little phone and he tweeted.
“And he supported the protesters like Ronald Reagan did for the protesters in Poland when Solidarity marched against Communism.
“And what happened there? Communism fell. Poland is free. The Iron Curtain evaporated.
“And the Berlin Wall was chopped down. That will happen now.”
The collapse of the Iran regime and government of Hassan Rouhani, he said, is “around the corner.”
8.16am update: Pompeo accuses Iran of being more like the mafia than a government
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Iran “is run by something that resembles the mafia more than a government,” citing what he described as vast wealth and corruption among the country’s leaders.
Speaking to a California audience composed mostly of Iranian-Americans, Pompeo said that while the Iranian people must determine the country’s direction, Washington “will support the long-ignored voice of the Iranian people.”
He added the US government was launching a 24/7 Farsi-language channel on TV, radio, digital and social media formats to reach Iranians in Iran and around the globe, he said.
8.00am update: What did Rouhani say to provoke Trump?
President Rouhani’s comments, made to Iranian diplomats, are believed to have sparked the dramatic twitter rant last night.
“America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars,” he said, according to Iran’s state news agency Irna.
“You are not in a position to incite the ian nation against ‘s security and interests.”