Donald Trump threatens 'full strength' attack on Iran as WW3 fears erupt

Donald Trump sensationally threatened to respond to any attack by Iran on the US with "the full strength and might of the US Armed Forces" as tensions in the Middle East racheted up.

In a post on Truth Social, the US president said America had "nothing to do with the [latest] attack” on Tehran.

He said: "If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the US Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.

"However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict.”

His comments came as Iran and Israel exchanged more missile strikes and just months after Iran said British forces in the Chagos Islands will be legitimate targets for Iran if Trump ever attacked the rogue state.

In March, Mr Trump warned military action against the regime would follow if it did not sign a deal over its nuclear programme.

In response a senior Iranian military official said Tehran would strike the joint US-UK naval base on Diego Garcia in the event of any attack.

He said: “There will be no distinction in targeting British or American forces if Iran is attacked from any base in the region or within the range of Iranian missiles.

“When the time comes, it won’t matter whether you’re an American, British, or Turkish soldier – you will be targeted if your base is used by Americans.”

Iran, which funds Hamas, hailed the October 7 massacre which killed 1,500 in Israel a “success” and threatened to turn the conflict into a raging Middle East war.

After the appalling events of 2023 its leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said an Israeli assault on Gaza would “unleash a much heavier torrent of anger”, adding: “The occupying regime seeks to portray itself as a victim to escalate its crimes further...this is a misguided calculation. It will result in even greater disaster.

“This destructive earthquake (Hamas attack) has destroyed some critical structures (in Israel) which will not be repaired easily. The Zionist regime's own actions are to blame for this disaster.”

Tehran said it would strike the Diego Garcia facility with ballistic missiles and suicide drones in retaliation for any US “hostile action against the Iranian nation”.

It warned: “Iran possesses adequate weapons for such an attack from its mainland, such as newer versions of the Khorramshahr missile that have an intermediate range, and the Shahed-136B kamikaze drone with a range of 4,000km [2,485 miles]”.

The base, it added, was in Tehran’s crosshairs because it is home to a strategic bomber force capable of striking Iran’s underground facilities.

Iranian state media listed the Diego Garcia base as a potential target alongside other US military locations across Asia and the Middle East, including a naval base in Bahrain close to a Royal Navy support facility.

Diego Garcia is the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago. The base, which has been a joint UK-US facility since the 1970s, has been a key point of contention in the deal to give up the islands.

Sovereignty has been transferred to Mauritius, but the UK retains a long-term lease on the island of Diego Garcia.

Since returning to office, Mr Trump has restored his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, which aims to stop it obtaining a nuclear weapon by driving its oil exports down to zero.

He previously warned “very bad things will happen” if Tehran fails to agree to a nuclear deal.

He said: “I sent them a letter just recently, and I said: you have to make a decision, one way or the other, and we either have to talk and talk it out or very bad things are going to happen to Iran.

“I don’t want that to happen. My big preference – and I don’t say this through strength or weakness – my big preference is, we work it out with Iran. But if we don’t work it out, bad, bad things are going to happen to Iran.”