US will ‘hit Iran with a force never seen before’ - Trump, Iranian leaders trade threats after Khamenei's death

Following threats by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to take revenge over the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to hit Iran even harder. 

“The hand of revenge of the Iranian nation for a severe, decisive and regrettable punishment for the murderers of the Imam of the Ummah will not let go of them,” the IRGC said in a statement early Sunday morning. 

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the vast popular Basij forces will powerfully continue the path of their leader in defending his legacy, standing firm against internal and external plots and delivering a lesson-giving punishment to aggressors against the Islamic homeland,” the IRGC stated. 

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf also issued a direct threat to President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

“We have prepared ourselves for these moments and have considered all scenarios,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a video on Iranian state TV, saying President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have “crossed our red lines” and “will suffer the consequences.”

“We will deliver such painful blows to you that you will beg; you will see.” 

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf:

To the filthy criminal and to all their agents, I say: You have crossed our red line and you must pay the price for it. pic.twitter.com/81TMA6q85C

— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 1, 2026

Following the threats, President Trump responded in usual form, posting a message to social media Sunday morning: 

“Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE! Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP."

The warning followed a post by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, in which he noted the Iranian regime’s refusal to negotiate a deal with the U.S. and threatened the destruction of Iran’s ballistic missile program and its navy. 

“The Iranian regime had their chance, yet refused to make a deal – and now they are suffering the consequences,” Hegseth posted to his official account. “For almost fifty years, Iran has targeted and killed Americans, always seeking the world’s most powerful weapons to further their radical cause. Last night, unlike any previous president, President Trump began dealing with this cancer.” 

“We will not tolerate powerful missiles targeting the American people. Those missiles will be destroyed, along with Iran’s missile production,” Hegseth continued. “The Iranian navy will be destroyed. And, as President Trump has said his entire life, Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.” 

Overnight, on President Trump’s orders, the Department of War commenced OPERATION EPIC FURY — the most lethal, most complex, and most-precision aerial operation in history.

The Iranian regime had their chance, yet refused to make a deal — and now they are suffering the…

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) February 28, 2026

Meanwhile, in Iran, many Iranians took to the streets to celebrate the death of Khamenei with music and dancing. Videos of Iranians celebrating publicly were uploaded to social media even before the official announcement on state TV. 

At the same time, following the official announcement, crowds of regime supporters were seen publicly mourning Khamenei in the capital city of Tehran Sunday morning. Iranian state television announced a 40-day mourning period for the supreme leader. 

Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi said that with Khamenei’s death, “the Islamic Republic has in effect reached its end and will very soon be consigned to the dustbin of history.” 

My fellow compatriots,

Ali Khamenei, the bloodthirsty despot of our time, the murderer of tens of thousands of Iran’s bravest sons and daughters, has been erased from the face of history. With his death, the Islamic Republic has in effect reached its end and will very soon be… https://t.co/pm3ZXY9IYZ

— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) February 28, 2026

“The death of the criminal Khamenei, though it does not avenge the blood that has been spilled, may serve as a balm for the wounded hearts of the grieving fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, and the families of those who gave their lives in Iran’s Lion and Sun National Revolution,” Pahlavi wrote.