'They better not do that': Donald Trump vows 'unprecedented force' if Iran tries to avenge Ayatollah Khamenei's death

2 minutes of readingUpdated: Mar 1, 2026 12:27 pm IST

US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Iran not to retaliate for its Operation Epic Fury. Iran had previously vowed to hit back with greater force after attacks by the United States and Israel. killed its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump said Tehran “better not do that.”

Trump added that if Iran goes ahead with its attack plan, he will attack them with a force they have never seen before.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: “Iran just declared that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than ever before. HOWEVER, THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE! Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

Trump’s statement came after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened to launch its “most intense offensive operation” ever directed against Israel and US bases, in response to the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a massive airstrike between the US and Israel.

“The most devastating offensive operation in the history of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will begin towards the occupied territories and American terrorist bases in just a few moments,” he said a few hours ago.

According to the New York Times, Iranian officials vowed to continue fighting on Sunday morning. Ali Larijani, a senior leader and confidant of Khamenei, promised that Iranian forces would fight even harder on Sunday, in remarks carried by Iranian media.

Seven other senior Iranian officials were also killed in attacks in Tehran on Saturday. Trump has said the “intense and precise bombardment” would continue for as long as necessary.

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