By our Foreign Desk
TEHRAN has issued a chilling “start of war” warning to Donald Trump, vowing to rain fire on the heart of Tel Aviv if the US launches even a single missile.
Ali Shamkhani, a top military advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, trashed the President’s hopes of a “limited strike,” calling the idea a total “illusion.”
In a terrifying escalation of rhetoric, the Iranian hardliner warned that any American military action—no matter how small—would be met with a “comprehensive and unprecedented” retaliation.
He told state-linked media: “Any military action by the US will be considered the start of war. The response will be immediate.”
Shamkhani, a former national security chief and key strategist for the regime, made it clear that Iran’s crosshairs are not just on US troops, but on Israel.
He warned that Tehran’s revenge would target “the aggressor, the heart of Tel Aviv, and all supporters of the aggressor.”
The threat comes as Trump’s “massive armada,” led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, barrels towards the Persian Gulf.
Trump has warned Tehran that “time is running out” for a new nuclear deal, adding that the fleet is “ready, willing, and able” to use “speed and violence” if necessary.
The latest war of words follows a series of explosive events that have pushed the Middle East to its most dangerous flashpoint in decades:
The “Armada” Deployment: President Trump recently ordered a carrier strike group to the region—a force he claims is larger than the one used to topple Venezuela’s Maduro earlier this month.
Internal Unrest: Iran is currently reeling from massive internal protests sparked by a collapsing economy and the plummeting value of the Rial.
Human rights groups suggest thousands have been killed in a brutal regime crackdown.
Washington has been weighing “surgical” strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities or IRGC sites to stop the regime’s regional “aggression” and crackdown on protesters.
Shamkhani’s comments are a direct rebuttal to the idea that such a move wouldn’t spark a full-scale world war.
The 2025 Precedent: Tensions have remained sky-high since a series of military exchanges in June 2025, which saw heavy damage to Iranian infrastructure.
Tehran’s message is now clear: if Trump pulls the trigger, the whole region goes up in flames.
