Iran and America Could be at War Soon
F-16I from Israeli Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Key Points: Iranian officials have warned the United States of “all-out war” with “irreparable damage” should it join Israel’s ongoing military strikes against Iran.
The threats from Iran’s Foreign Ministry and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei came in response to President Donald Trump’s recent escalatory rhetoric.
In a social media post, Trump stated he knew where Khamenei was hiding, calling him an “easy target” and warning that US “patience is wearing thin.”
While reports indicate Trump has so far opposed an Israeli plan to assassinate the Ayatollah, his administration is considering direct US strikes, creating a volatile and unpredictable situation.
Iran Warns U.S. of “All-out War”
A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress aircraft flies in a seven-ship formation during the Hyundai Air and Sea Show at Miami Beach, Florida, May 24, 2025. The flyover represented the Air Force’s total force, integrating active duty, guard, and reserve pilots flying the B-1B Lancer, B-2 Spirit, F-22 Raptor, A-10 Thunderbolt II, B-52H Stratofortress, F-16C Fighting Falcon, and F-15C Eagle aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bailee A. Darbasie)
President Donald Trump has been hinting, for days, that the U.S. might join Israel’s assault on Iran’s nuclear facilities, possibly using U.S.-made bunker-buster bombs to destroy one particular Iranian facility that’s buried in the side of a mountain.
Doing so would involve American weapons, planes, and personnel, which would represent direct U.S. involvement in the war.
And Iranian officials are now making threats about “all-out war,” should that take place.
Threats From Tehran – and Truth Social
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II pilot assigned to the 421st Fisgter Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, receives fuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft assigned to the 506th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, over the Pacific Ocean, while conducting Agile Combat Employment (ACE) rehearsals, June 28, 2022. ACE shifts operations from centralized physical infrastructures to a network of smaller, dispersed locations that can complicate adversary planning and provide more options for joint force commanders. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Nicholas Priest)
“I think any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region with very, very bad consequences for the whole international community,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said this week in an interview with Al Jazeera English, as cited by CBS News.
In addition, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Iranian state TV that the U.S. “should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage.”
“Those who know Iran’s history know that Iranians do not answer well to the language of threats,” the Supreme Leader added, while vowing that Iran “will never surrender.”
The ayatollah’s comments came after Trump had declared on Truth Social that he knew where Khamenei was hiding, and that “he is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.” This appeared to be a threat to kill the Supreme Leader, should he not surrender.
“Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!,” the president added.
A War of Regime Change?
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Colby Delia, 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron crew chief, and Airman 1st Class Olivia Ward, 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron crew chief, prepare for a B-1B Lancer to take off for a mission at Misawa Air Base, May 9, 2025. BTF missions provide opportunities to train and work with our allies and partners in joint and combined operations and exercises. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mattison Cole)
Donald Trump has been pretty consistent across the last decade of his political career: He does not like wars of choice, wars for regime change, or wars that last for years. In his various races for president, he has stated repeatedly that his opponents, whether Republican or Democrat, would launch such wars, and that he would keep the U.S. out of them.
Trump Could Strike Iran, Look at the History
F-35 Fighter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Trump is not a pacifist by any means; he showed in his first term that he’s perfectly willing to launch air strikes to take out enemies, including Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), whose assassination via drone strike Trump authorized in early 2020. (Later that year, Iran issued an arrest warrant for Trump, over the killing of Soleimani, and in 2024, the Justice Department charged an Iranian man in a murder-for-hire plot against Trump in retaliation for Soleimani’s death.
But now, it appears regime change in Iran is a key goal, at least of Israel’s existing war in Iran, in which the U.S. may soon join.
Israel Has Thoughts
Ohio-class SSGN. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given a series of interviews, both in Israel and the U.S., in which he stated that eliminating the Supreme Leader would “end” the war.
“The ‘forever war’ is what Iran wants, and they’re bringing us to the brink of nuclear war. In fact, what Israel is doing is preventing this, bringing an end to this aggression, and we can only do so by standing up to the forces of evil,” the Israeli prime minister said in an interview with ABC News.
Israel Dominates Iran
B-52 Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Per Axios, the initial phase of Israel’s attack on Iran “has left its air force in total control of the skies over Tehran, and its leaders contemplating regime change in the Islamic Republic.”
The report states that Trump “remains unconvinced” about the regime change goal, noting that Israel believed it had a window last weekend to assassinate the ayatollah, but that Trump opposed doing so.
Things Could Get Worse Fast
F-22 Raptor Fighter. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
“It’s the Ayatollah you know versus the Ayatollah you don’t know,” Axios quoted a senior administration official in reference to the decision. However, Trump could still “swoop in and do some gigantic action,” the official also said.
About the Author:
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy.
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