Trump again threatens Iran with warning it will 'no longer exist': What to know
WASHINGTON – Tensions in the Middle East continued to escalate on June 28, with Iran targeting U.S. military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain and renewed hostilities in the region entering a fourth straight day.
The intensifying attacks further undermined the increasingly tenuous interim U.S-Iran agreement to end the war.
Despite progress a week ago in peace talks held in Switzerland, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said violations of the ceasefire had resulted in "the complete halt of all diplomatic processes." President Donald Trump also issued a fresh threat of annihilation toward Iranian leadership and seemingly the country itself.
In a social media post, he warned "it is very possible that they will never learn."
"There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started," Trump wrote. "If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!"
The latest escalation came after Iranian forces struck a Panama-flagged tanker with an attack drone around 4:30 a.m. ET on June 27. The tanker was carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil near the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said.
The military organization said Iran had been "given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement" following U.S. retaliatory strikes a day earlier, but instead "elected not to" after the latest attack on commercial shipping. In response, U.S. aircraft struck multiple military targets, including surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities, according to CENTCOM.
Commercial shipping at center of tensions
Britain's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said June 27 that a tanker reported being struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, sustaining damage to its bridge, though all crew members were reported safe. The Joint Maritime Information Center also raised its security threat level following the recent attacks.
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest energy shipping corridors, has remained a focal point of tensions since fighting erupted between the United States, Israel and Iran earlier this year. While commercial traffic has resumed under the ceasefire, repeated attacks on merchant vessels have threatened efforts to restore normal shipping through the waterway.
Israel kills Hezbollah militants
In Lebanon, Israel said on June 28 it had killed Hezbollah militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and struck a rocket launcher. There was no immediate response from Hezbollah.
Lebanon and Israel, which is not a party to the U.S.-Iran deal, have repeatedly agreed to U.S.-brokered ceasefires, the latest of which came a few days ago.
But those have had only limited effect, with Israel insisting it will not withdraw from Lebanese territory it has seized and Hezbollah repeatedly rejecting calls to give up its arms as long as Israeli troops remain in place.
Contributing: Reuters
Zachary Schermele is the congressional correspondent for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on X @athompsonUSAT.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump again threatens Iran with warning it will 'no longer exist': What to know
Reporting by Zachary Schermele and Anthony Thompson, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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This story was originally published June 28, 2026 at 9:21 AM.