Iran-US war latest: Trump says American military may still ‘smack’ Iran despite it being a ‘failed nation’

Donald Trump has warned that the American military may still “smack” Iran despite it being a “failed nation”.

"Their leaders are largely dead. Their navy is gone, their air force is gone, their surveillance equipment is almost entirely gone. That doesn't mean we won't smack them. We'll see what happens”, the US president said.

Earlier Monday, Trump told Fox News he will “hit Iran hard” tonight in retaliation for Iranian strikes on US military bases in Jordan.

Iran launched retaliatory strikes targeting US military bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates following the attacks on Larak Island, which were the first American strikes on the Islamic Republic since late July.

Despite the renewed strikes, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has emphasised that Tehran is still seeking a negotiated solution to its conflict with the US.

Meanwhile, Trump posted an AI-generated video of Kharg Island being “blown to smithereens.”

A US official told Reuters that no such attack had taken place on Kharg Island. US Central Command said that “limited, precise action” had been launched “against IRGC minelaying forces”.

Hamid Bovard, the chief executive of government-run National Iranian Oil Co, insisted oil operations had not stopped on the island.

Donald Trump has said the US has an “unlimited” amount of “older” munitions amid reports of dwindling weapons stockpiles.

“We have tremendous amounts, unlimited amounts of mid-grade and older stuff that’s also very powerful”, the US president said in the Oval Office Monday, adding that the country is also in “very good shape” with the amount of “elite” weapons it has at its disposal.

“We can always take from other sources, but I don’t think we’re gonna need it ‘cause nobody is gonna mess with us”, Trump said.

A White House official has said Donald Trump has “every option on the table” in his war against Iran.

“The president was very clear that he maintains every option on the table, and he’s willing to use every tool at his disposal to ensure that the world is safe and that the national security of the United States and our allies remains preserved”, White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Al Jazeera .

“And certainly economic tools are a very powerful set of tools that the president and the administration have”.