Trump Announces Another Strong U.S. Strike on Iran Amid Rising Tensions at NATO Summit

U.S. President Donald Trump declared during the NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday that the United States plans to launch another powerful strike against Iran overnight. This announcement comes amid escalating tensions following Iran's missile and drone attacks on American bases in the Gulf region. Trump described the Iranians as "scoundrels" and emphasized the severity of the U.S. response, stating, "We hit them hard last night," and warned that the ceasefire was over.

Trump detailed that the military retaliation was prompted by Iranian rocket fire on U.S. ships, saying, "We told them to go and do their funeral arrangements, but instead they started firing rockets." He asserted the U.S. response was overwhelmingly strong, "twenty times tougher" than the Iranian attacks. Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guards released footage of their missile and drone strikes on U.S. bases, accompanied by unprecedented threats from senior Iranian officials.

The Iranian regime's mouthpiece, Kayhan newspaper, ran a headline demanding Trump's assassination, with its editor calling for an official bounty exceeding $100 million. Mohsen Rezaei, advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader, declared that revenge against Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a key revolutionary goal. These threats underscore the unprecedented diplomatic and military tensions between the two countries.

The NATO summit also saw unusual diplomatic strain, notably between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Meloni reportedly requested Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to ensure she would not be seated next to Trump during the summit, highlighting the summit's tense atmosphere.

In a related development, the New York Times reported a federal lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of secretly cooperating with Iranian authorities by handing over names and files of Iranian asylum seekers in the U.S. This arrangement, allegedly beginning in March last year, allowed Iranian officials to identify and select refugees for deportation, violating U.S. federal regulations protecting asylum seekers' sensitive information. Monthly meetings between U.S. immigration enforcement and Iranian representatives reportedly continued since then, raising serious legal and ethical concerns.