Trump says US would consider bombing Iran again as Khamenei warns of retaliation for future attacks

US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Iran once again if the country continues to pursue the enrichment of uranium, days after “brokering” a ceasefire that effectively ended the country’s 12-day-long fighting with Israel.

Trump’s comments came as a reaction to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s first message on the ceasefire. Khamanei said  Iran  “slapped America in the  face” by launching an attack  against a major US base in Qatar following the  US  bombing  raids. Khamanei also said  Iran  would  never surrender.

Trump  said at a White House news conference that  he  did not rule out attacking  Iran  again, when asked about the  possibility of new  bombing  of  Iranian nuclear sites if deemed necessary at some point.

“Sure, without question, absolutely,”  he  said.

‘Saved him’

The president claimed that he had spared Khamenei from getting killed in the attacks. US officials told Reuters that Trump had vetoed an Israeli  plan  to kill the  supreme leader.

“His Country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLITERATED, and I knew EXACTLY where  he  was sheltered, and  would  not let Israel, or the  US Armed Forces, by far the  Greatest and Most Powerful in the  World, terminate his life,” Trump said on a social media post.

He added, “I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH.”

What about the US-Iran nuclear deal?

Meanwhile, Trump had said a few days ago that Iran and the US would hold nuclear talks as soon as next week, teasing the possibility of a deal even after boasting that recent US strikes had crippled the Islamic republic’s atomic programme.

However, after his comments on the supreme leader, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “If President  Trump  is genuine about wanting a deal,  he  should put aside the  disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards  Iran’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, and stop hurting his millions of  heartfelt followers.”

US drops lifting sanctions on Iran

Khamenei’s statement led Trump to drop the idea of lifting sanctions on Iran, as he said, “I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction  relief, and more.”

The president was reportedly working on the  possible removal of  sanctions  on  Iran  to give it a chance for a speedy recovery.

With inputs from agencies