Trump Threatens Total Destruction of Iran's Military, Economy After Iran's Drone Attacks on Gulf States

A sharp escalation unfolded as Iran launched multiple attacks early Friday on Gulf Arab states, including dozens of drones at Saudi Arabia, and U.S. President Donald Trump threatened major new retaliation.

“Iran launched multiple attacks early Friday on Gulf Arab states, including dozens of drones at Saudi Arabia, following warnings from its new supreme leader about hosting American bases, and U”

NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

NBC reported that Iran struck Gulf states and that Trump reacted with an online threat — “Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today,” — while Chosun framed the fallout as Trump claiming “Total Destruction of Iran's Military, Economy,” and The Times of India noted Trump’s triumphant tone praising U.S. military power and warning Iran’s leadership of further action.

NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

The three outlets together underline a rapid intensification: Iran’s offensive actions in the Gulf and an immediate, public U.S. threat in response.

Trump’s public rhetoric was unusually incendiary and direct.

NBC quoted his social media post saying “Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today,” and included an extended claim attributed to him: “Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth.”

New York Post

The Times of India highlighted similar language and added Trump’s boast — “We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time — watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today,” — and his provocative line about Iran’s record and his role: “They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honour it is to do so!”

Chosun’s headline reflected this framing of total destruction, showing consistent coverage across outlets of Trump’s extreme threats.

Iran’s leadership also signalled escalation; NBC reported that Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, described as Iran’s new supreme leader, vowed to “not refrain from avenging the blood” of Iranians killed and warned Gulf Arab nations to shut U.S. bases, calling American protection “nothing more than a lie.”

“In the middle of the Middle East chaos, US President Donald Trump on Friday struck yet another strong tone against the hostile Iran regime and invoked a near-declaratory warning against what he called “deranged scumbags””

The Times of India

Chosun’s coverage explicitly summarized this response as “Iran's New Supreme Leader Vows Retaliation, Threatens 'Second Front' Against U.S. and Israel,”

and The Times of India noted Tehran’s broader operations, including reported attempts to strike major U.S. naval assets, indicating reciprocal threats from Iran’s side as well.

Military actions and strikes were reported on multiple fronts.

NBC said “Intense airstrikes hit early Friday around Iran’s capital, Tehran, as well as outlying areas,” while also reporting Iran has been attacking ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and that Khamenei said Iran would continue to block the waterway.

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The Times of India recorded that Tehran may have targeted the US carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and claimed responsibility for downing another US jet during a refuelling mission, a claim Washington described as an accident.

Chosun’s reporting amplified the picture of large-scale confrontation between U.S. and Iranian forces and leadership vows.

The regional and economic consequences were immediate: NBC noted energy markets reacted, with Brent crude remaining “stubbornly over $100 per barrel,” spiking “as high as about $120 per barrel” and “currently some 40% higher than when Israel and the United States attacked Iran on Feb. 28 to start the war.”

“Iran launched multiple attacks early Friday on Gulf Arab states, including dozens of drones at Saudi Arabia, following warnings from its new supreme leader about hosting American bases, and U”

NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

NBC also reported Iran’s continued attacks on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which the outlet said accounts for a fifth of the world's oil transit.

NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

The Times of India and Chosun framed the crisis as escalating between state leaders and military forces, linking the battlefield dynamics and high-level threats to wider regional disruption.