President Trump warned Iran on Tuesday that this could be just the beginning.
“They haven’t seen anything yet,” Trump declared from the Oval Office.
The president threatened a dramatically expanded assault on Iranian infrastructure after American service members were killed over the weekend.
“If we left today, it would take them decades to rebuild, and I don’t believe they could ever rebuild,” Trump said. “And honestly, they haven’t seen anything yet. We’ve been nice.”
The comments marked one of Trump’s sharpest warnings since the latest round of fighting began.
Trump has already vowed that each American military death will be avenged “many times over.” He has also revived threats to unleash attacks against Iranian power plants, bridges and other major infrastructure if Tehran continues targeting U.S. forces.
The warning followed the collapse of a memorandum of understanding Trump signed with Iran last month. Disagreements over commercial shipping and access through the Strait of Hormuz helped unravel the temporary arrangement.
Control of the strait remains at the center of the conflict. The narrow passage carries a major share of the world’s oil and natural gas shipments, giving Tehran leverage over global energy markets and commercial shipping.
Trump presented Iran with a stark choice: accept meaningful negotiations or face a level of destruction the U.S. has so far withheld.
Yet the president maintained that diplomatic contacts continue behind the scenes.
“They want to meet desperately to try and end it because they’re getting decimated,” Trump said, according to remarks independently reported by The Associated Press.
Trump offered no public details about those communications or the terms Iran would have to accept.
He also said Washington has no interest in holding another meeting simply for appearances.
“They want to desperately meet. And until they’re ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest in meeting,” Trump said.
That posture leaves diplomacy technically alive but dependent on Tehran showing that it is prepared to change its conduct, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz.
Watch the clip below:
.@POTUS: "Honestly, they haven't seen anything yet. We've been nice." https://t.co/aD4DJnMGX7 pic.twitter.com/r0GmQH5BqG
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 21, 2026
