'They will not exist any longer': Trump warns Iran against targeting US officials

Trump signals more firepower if Iran threatens US alliesUS President Donald Trump on Thursday issued a fresh warning to Iran, saying those responsible for any attack on American officials "will not exist any longer", while making clear that he would not hesitate to launch further military action if the situation warranted it.In a phone interview with Salem News Channel, Trump was asked how Washington would respond if Iran killed a US official, including treasury secretary Scott Bessent."They will not exist any longer," Trump said, delivering a stern warning to Tehran.The remarks came after Bessent reportedly shifted from his Washington, DC, residence to a US military base earlier this week following alleged threats to his life from Iran.Trump also described the continued rule of Iran's current leadership beyond his presidency as a failure. Asked whether it would be a defeat if the "Iran crazies" remained in power when his term ended, he replied, "Yes, that would be a defeat.""Yep, I would say that would be a defeat. Absolutely," he added.On the prospect of fresh military action, Trump said he would not hold back from using force to prevent Iran from threatening US allies and maritime interests.Asked whether he would hesitate to use military force to stop Iran from "terrorising our allies and our ships", he said, "No hesitation."Trump also claimed that US operations against Iran were progressing well, asserting that Washington was extracting more oil than it had before the conflict began."We're doing very well with it right now, we're taking out more oil now than we did before the, if you call it a war, before the war started. We're taking out more oil. And think about the war. We've been fighting at a pretty rapid clip for three weeks, not seven months, for three weeks. Nobody's been killed in the last five months," Trump said.He further claimed that the US had complete control over the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route."We control the Gulf in terms of the Hormuz Strait. We control it. Totally control it," he said.Signalling that Washington could step up its military response depending on how the conflict develops, Trump said, "But the answer is, if I saw things going the other way, I would do that, and it's possible I would do it right now."Trump also asserted that Iran's leadership was losing its grip, declaring, "The regime is collapsing."