Trump warns Iran will be 'hit very hard' on Saturday

US President ​Donald Trump said Iran ‌would be "hit very hard" on Saturday unless the regime surrenders, and threatens unnamed individuals and areas that were previously not targeted.

Writing on social media, Trump said Iran had apologised to neighbouring countries in the Middle East and promised to stop launching attacks against them, which he claimed was the result of sustained military pressure from Washington and its allies.

“Iran, which was heading towards hell, apologised and surrendered to its Middle Eastern neighbours, promising it would no longer fire at them. This promise was made only because of the relentless attacks by the United States and Israel,” Trump wrote.

He added that this was the first time in thousands of years that Iran had been defeated by neighbouring countries in the region.

“They told me, ‘Thank you, President Trump.’ I said, ‘You’re welcome.’ Iran is no longer the ‘bully’ of the Middle East – they are now the ‘defeated’ power in the Middle East, and that will remain the case for many decades until they surrender or, more likely, completely collapse,” he said.

Trump also warned that a particularly heavy blow would be delivered to Iran, adding that due to what he described as Tehran’s “bad behaviour”, the possibility of “total destruction” of territories and groups that had not previously been considered targets was being seriously discussed.

Regional tensions have escalated in recent weeks. On February 28, the United States and Israel carried out major strikes against Iran, during which Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed.

In retaliation, Iranian forces launched attacks on Israel and several countries in the Middle East, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Azerbaijan. A strike was also reported against a British military base in Cyprus, raising concerns in Europe about a possible expansion of the conflict.

On March 5, Israel said it was entering the next phase of its war against Iran and would intensify air strikes on underground facilities where Tehran is believed to store ballistic missiles.

Trump has also made clear that he wants a complete change of leadership in Iran, saying he has several candidates in mind who could serve as a “good leader” for the country.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is prepared for a potential ground invasion by US forces. He rejected any negotiations with Washington and stressed that Iran had not requested a ceasefire despite nationwide strikes carried out by the United States and Israel.

On March 6, Western media outlets reported that Russia had been sharing information with Iran about the locations of US military facilities, potentially explaining the accuracy of Iranian strikes against American targets.