Trump warns Iran ‘will pay many times over’ for every US soldier it kills

US President Donald Trump says he has directed the Pentagon to kill “many times” the number of Iranians for every US soldier killed by Tehran.

“Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over! This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military,” Trump writes on Truth Social, without elaborating.

The post suggests the sides are heading toward a further escalation, after two US troops were killed in an Iranian attack on Jordan over the weekend.

Last week, the situation appeared to be calming down after Trump praised Iran for releasing a detained American national.

The Trump administration’s messaging has been all over the place, though, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying that a deal with Iran is still possible and the White House promoting a June poll that showed a majority of Americans support the memorandum of understanding that both sides have indicated is no longer in place.

Trump in the past has reportedly told advisers he prefers to keep Iran confused about his intentions by making bombastic threats, even if he does not actually plan to carry them out.