Trump issued a stern warning to Iran that the country will be annihilated if it attacks the U.S.
He said in a News Nation Interview, “I would absolutely hit them so hard. But I have very firm instructions. Anything happens, they’re gonna wipe them off the face of this Earth.”
Trump was responding to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s threat to the U.S. made in an opinion article published by The Wall Street Journal.
“Unlike the restraint Iran showed in June 2025, our powerful armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack,” Araghchi wrote, referring to the 12-day war launched by Israel on Iran in June.
“This isn’t a threat, but a reality I feel I need to convey explicitly, because as a diplomat and a veteran, I abhor war.”
He added: “An all-out confrontation will certainly be ferocious and drag on far, far longer than the fantasy timelines that Israel and its proxies are trying to peddle to the White House. It will certainly engulf the wider region and have an impact on ordinary people around the globe.”
Arraghchi’s comments came after Trump had called for an end to the nearly 40-year reign of the Supreme leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Media outlets reported that the U.S.’ USS Abraham Lincoln had sailed from the South China Sea toward the Middle East. The carrier is accompanied by destroyers and missile ships equipped with hundreds of launchers capable of striking targets across Iran with unprecedented force.
US’ Threat on Iran is a Threat to CCP’s Interests
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has played a major role in sustaining Iran’s economy and the fall of the Iranian regime could threaten its interests.
Iran is strategically vital to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global infrastructure development strategy to facilitate trade which was rolled out by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
China committed up to US$400 billion in investments under a 25-year cooperation deal while Iran supplies oil.
China has been buying record amounts of oil from Iran despite U.S. sanctions.
According to The Merchant’s News, Iran is exporting near-record volumes, roughly 1.8 to 2.3 million bpd, with “90-95% going exclusively to China.”
It also reported China’s “structural dependency” on Iran, as Iran’s crude oil supply represented “13.6% of China’s total oil purchases” in 2024.
China also buys Iranian oil at discounted rates, keeping the Chinese refiners profitable.
“Iranian oil consistently trades US$7-12 below Brent benchmark prices.”
“For Chinese refiners operating on low margins, that discount is the difference between profitability and bankruptcy,” the report added.
The Iranian regime’s brutality towards unarmed protestors suggest it is not only trying to hold onto power but could also be protecting the CCP’s interests.
The ABC news reported that “videos that have slipped out of Iran despite an internet shutdown appear to show security forces repeatedly using live fire to target apparently unarmed protesters, something unaddressed by Araghchi.”
The CCP benefits from buying Iranian oil in Chinese currency.
Over the last 2 decades starting from 2014, the Chinese yuan has depreciated by about 15% against the US dollar.
The Atlantic Council think tank reported that Iran and China, including Russia, now trade sanctioned oil in Chinese currency.
