Photo: Alamy
The White House warned Wednesday that President Donald Trump is prepared to escalate military action against Iran if its government refuses to negotiate an end to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing that the administration remains open to negotiations but cautioned that Iran “should not miscalculate again” following what she described as major battlefield losses.
“Iran should not miscalculate again,” Leavitt said, arguing that the regime’s previous decisions had already cost it “their senior leadership, their navy, their air force, and their air defense system.”
She said President Trump has made clear that further escalation is possible if Tehran does not accept negotiations.
“If they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily and will continue to be, President Trump will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before,” Leavitt said, adding that, “President Trump does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash hell.”
Leavitt described the situation as a choice for Iran’s leadership.
“Any violence beyond this point,” she said, “will be because the Iranian regime refused to understand they have already been defeated and refused to come to a deal.”
The administration said the warning follows what it described as significant military gains by U.S. and Israeli forces during Operation Epic Fury, which began Feb. 28.
Leavitt said more than 10,000 Iranian targets have been struck during the campaign and that Iran’s missile and drone attacks have declined by about 90 percent since the early phase of the war. She also said U.S. forces have destroyed more than 140 Iranian naval vessels, including nearly 50 mine-laying ships.
The military campaign has also targeted underground facilities and coastal missile systems, the White House said, weakening Iran’s ability to threaten regional shipping routes.
The comments come as the United States continues building up forces in the region. Thousands of troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and Marine units are deploying to support operations tied to the conflict.
“The president’s preference is always peace,” Leavitt said. “There does not need to be any more death and destruction.”
