WASHINGTON — President Trump on Monday put Iran and the speaker of the Islamic Republic’s parliament on notice after Tehran attacked Israel’s biggest oil refinery and told The Post his response is coming “shortly.”
Iran escalated its attack on infrastructure by striking a water and electrical plant in Kuwait, and an oil refinery was set ablaze in the northern Israeli city of Haifa after the Iranian missile attack. Asked for his response on the strike, he told The Post: “You’ll see shortly.”
As Trump brings more military might to the region that could inflict catastrophic damage on Iran, he encouraged what’s left of Iran’s regime to make a deal before it’s too late.
He exclusively told The Post that the US will find out whether the speaker is willing to work with Americans –soon.
“We’re gonna find out,” Trump told The Post when asked about Iran’s Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. “I’ll let you know that in about a week.”
The president described a dramatic shake-up inside Iran, claiming the old guard has effectively been wiped out and replaced by a new group he said has so far been easier to work with.
“There has been total regime change because the regimes of the past are gone and we’re dealing with a whole new set of people,” Trump said. “And thus far, they’ve been much more reasonable.”
Pressed on whether these are new figures compared to past US adversaries in Tehran, Trump didn’t mince words.
“Pretty much,” he said. “The other people are all dead.”
Trump also pointed to uncertainty surrounding the health of Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei — the son of the now-dead Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The son has not been seen publicly since the US and Israel began their attacks on Feb. 28.
“Nobody’s heard from him,” Trump said of the leader, who The Post previously reported that US intel officials believe to be gay. “He’s very seriously injured.”
Asked if Mojtaba Khamenei is still alive, Trump added, “We don’t know. We think probably yes, but in extraordinarily bad shape.”
The interview came hours after Iran targeted an Israeli oil refinery — the latest strike on energy infrastructure in the monthlong war.
Oil prices spiked in early trading on Monday, as Iran went on the attack and Trump threatened his response. Prices hit $115 per barrel and, in the US, the average price for a gallon of gas is now $3.99, according to AAA, which is the highest since 2022.
Trump threatened Iran’s energy infrastructure in response, writing on Truth Social, the US would consider “blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet “touched” if a peace deal is not reached “shortly.”
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