Trump threatens to retaliate to any Iran attack with '1,000 times greater' force
Donald Trump warned on Twitter on Tuesday that the US would retaliate with “1,000 times greater” force against any Iranian attack on its interests, according to The Guardian.
Trump referred to media reports that Iran was planning retaliation for the assassination by US drone in January of the Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. At the time of the assassination, analysts predicted that Iran would seek to retaliate over the long term.
A Politico story citing unnamed intelligence officials said Iran was plotting to kill the US ambassador to South Africa, Lana Marks, a handbag designer and longtime Trump friend. She is now under extra security protection.
“According to press reports, Iran may be planning an assassination, or other attack, against the United States in retaliation for the killing of terrorist leader Soleimani,” Trump tweeted on Monday night.
“Any attack by Iran, in any form, against the United States will be met with an attack on Iran that will be 1,000 times greater in magnitude!”
AFP reports that the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman on Monday dismissed the report of an assassination plot as "baseless" and part of "repetitive and rotten methods to create an anti-Iranian atmosphere on the international stage".