US President Donald Trump warned on Friday that Washington could launch "another little Epic Fury" against Iran if Tehran refuses to reach a negotiated agreement, hours after a US envoy said an American strike could come "as soon as this weekend". Iran answered with a warning of its own, telling the United States not to "play with fire" while drawing up plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf if it is attacked again.
Trump's "Epic Fury" Warning
Speaking at a Republican campaign rally in Florida, Trump said, "We may do another little Epic Fury, or they'll agree. If they're smart, they'll just say, let's get down to business." He named no conditions Iran would have to meet to avoid the strikes, and doubted Tehran would negotiate because "perhaps they're not smart."
Trump claimed earlier US strikes had crippled Iran. "We obliterated Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity with Operation Midnight Hammer," he said. Operation Epic Fury was the joint US-Israeli military campaign launched in February that set off the months-long war still raging today. Trump said he sees the conflict ending "soon" — "I see it ending one way or another, through agreement or otherwise" — without offering a timetable.
The Envoy's "This Weekend" Remark
The rally remarks followed an interview in which Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria and Iraq, said a US strike on Iran could happen this weekend. "Could there be a strike this weekend? Absolutely. President Trump is very clear. He's open and available and accessible to a deal, and we've been at the table for months and months and months," Barrack said on a podcast with Mario Nawfal during a Gulf visit.
Barrack, a longtime friend and former business associate of Trump, does not have a direct role in Iran policy, and he insisted Washington was not seeking to overthrow Tehran's government: "The consequence won't be regime change." Trump initially appeared to distance himself. "That was my ambassador? He's a pretty powerful man, I guess. If that's the case, I don't know anything about it," he told reporters — a contrast with his earlier position that no new attack would come before the US midterm elections on November 3.
Iran's "Don't Play With Fire" Response
Iran responded through senior officials speaking to Reuters. "If Iran is attacked, there will be no more red lines... from undersea cables to military bases, including covert ones. US should not play with fire," one official said. Two senior Iranian security officials said Tehran has drawn up detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf, including blocking repairs to prolong internet disruptions.
Yadollah Javani, the deputy head of political affairs for Iran's Revolutionary Guards, said Iran could target seven major internet cables beneath the Strait of Hormuz. Undersea cables carry about 99 percent of global internet traffic, though less than one percent of international bandwidth passes through the strait itself, per telecommunications research firm TeleGeography. Tehran has also threatened Gulf oil facilities, data centers, and artificial intelligence facilities.
Why the Stakes Are Rising
The war is nearing its eighth month, and tensions have sharpened all week. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose about 3.5 percent on Friday to pass $117 a barrel, its highest level since April. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they struck four commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, and Houthi rebels in Yemen have stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia. Washington has ordered the departure of non-emergency staff from its embassy in Riyadh and two Saudi consulates, trimmed staff at four other Middle East embassies, and US intelligence has warned that Iran has stepped up efforts to target American officials, according to Axios.
The exchange of threats leaves diplomacy at an impasse: Washington says a deal remains on the table while floating imminent strikes, and Tehran says it will hit back across the Gulf's oil, communications, and military infrastructure if attacked. With oil prices climbing, ships under fire, and embassies thinning staff, the next move — deal, strike, or continued stalemate — will shape both the region and the weeks ahead of the US midterms.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Volatile Reaction (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: NDTV: Trump's "Little Epic Fury" Warning and Iran's Reply, NDTV: US Could "Absolutely" Strike Iran This Weekend, Says Envoy, Haaretz: Iran's Undersea Cable Plans, Today News Brief: Envoy Warns of Weekend Strike; Oil Passes $117