Donald Trump warns Iran that the US will destroy it in a conflict

US President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Iran, suggesting it will be destroyed if a conflict breaks out between the two countries.

If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran, he said in a tweet yesterday. Never threaten the United States again! Trump added.

The US has deployed additional warships and planes to the Gulf in recent days. But Trump’s tweet marks a shift in tone after recent attempts to downplay the possibility of military conflict.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif who was educated in the US replied on his twitter account saying;

NeverThreatenAnIranian. Try respect—it works!

Only a matter of days ago, the president told aides that he did not want US pressure on Iran to turn into a conflict.

And when asked by reporters last Thursday if the US was going to war, Mr Trump answered: “I hope not.”

Iran has also moved to talk down concerns over the escalating tensions. On Saturday, its foreign minister insisted there was no appetite for war.

There will not be a war since neither we want a war nor does anyone have the illusion they can confront Iran in the region,” Mohammad Javad Zarif told state news agency Irna.