Trump: "Iran will be wiped off the face of the earth if it attacks U.S. ships escorting vessels through the Strait of Hormuz"

Following today’s (Monday) escalation in the Persian Gulf, and the fact that the Iranians launched missiles that exploded near a U.S. destroyer in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. President Trump said this evening: "Iran will be wiped off the face of the earth if the Islamic Republic attacks American ships escorting vessels through the Strait of Hormuz." The American president made the remarks to "Fox News".

The commander of U.S. Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, said that six armed boats of the Revolutionary Guards were attacked across the strait. Cooper added: "I will not go into details regarding whether the cease-fire has ended or not. At the president’s direction, we responded to Iranian aggression". The Iranians responded this evening to the U.S. threat with a threat of their own. The Iranian army issued a statement saying: "Tonight will be a night of rage".

In parallel with the American statements, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held several security assessments following the developments in the Persian Gulf. No further details were released for publication.

A military official briefed reporters this evening and said that "the IDF is monitoring the situation and is in a state of readiness and alert. We emphasize that there is no change in Home Front Command guidelines. Our air defense systems and offensive capabilities are at a high state of readiness, unchanged since the cease-fire was decided. Any change in the guidelines will be updated accordingly".