‘There’ll be very little left of Iran’: Trump’s chilling threat as IRGC retaliates over US strikes - #NewVM2 #Dailyworldnews

We start out of the US this hour because the US-Iran conflict is escalating once more as both sides exchange fire threats, which is sending the price of oil upwards by as much as 5% as we go to wear. Well let's go to Washington correspondent Jonathan Kersley. We'll get to that later. Jono, but this is a precarious situation once more. Once again Pete, it is. For those who are looking for signs of an end to this conflict after a month of military silence between the two, well the last 48 hours has shown anything but. What we've seen today is the United States launch strikes inside Iran across a number of sites and Iran retaliates saying it's been launching rockets once again in the direction of Jordan. Of course there are US bases there. These attacks started round about five hours ago from the US side, President Trump taking to Truth Social to say that if the failed nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level. But it will not be the biggest attack of them all. That is waiting in the wings. And when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It's a similar message he conveyed to our affiliates, Fox News, here in the United States warning that if Iran decides to launch retaliatory action, which it does and has done, then there would be further strikes from the United States. So this tit for tat just shows all the hallmarks once again of escalating. Iran says there have been four people killed in strikes in Syria and within the last couple of moments, Iran is claiming to have killed US personnel. There's been no immediate response from the United States yet. When there is, obviously, we will bring that to you. But Iran has said this before, only to be refuted by the United States of America. When it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, well, Iran is once again threatened to shut that off and shut down the oil flow coming out of that critical oil laneway. The foreign ministry in Qatar has urged a level of caution. Of course, they've been playing a role of mediator in this conflict. This is what their official had to say a short time ago. There is no doubt that the US government is unstable in its positions, fluctuates in its statements and is confused in its approaches. But this does not mean that we will fail to make use of all our capabilities, whether on the battlefield or through our diplomatic apparatus. That was, apologies for that, that was Esmail Begayi, who was the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson. Let's bring you now the Qatari official on concerns around the Strait of Hormuz. We cannot afford to accept the status quo as it stands right now. The effects of the current escalation are not felt only here in the region, they are felt across the world. OK, yeah, well, let's get to that point on oil. Obviously, oil traders are quite worried about where this is heading, Jono, and none more so than the last 12 or so hours. And unsurprisingly, over the course of the last, as you say, 12 or so hours, we have seen the oil price spike. It has leapt right about 5 per cent Brent crude, seen as one of the benchmarks of global world oil supply, sitting right about 95 US dollars a barrel. That spike is concerning. And the longer this escalation goes on, Pete, well, the longer that spike is likely to continue. Of course, the height of this conflict, there were concerns it could rise to, what, 150 US dollars a barrel. President Trump saying it could have gone to 200 US dollars a barrel. Got to around about 120, and that's all oil prices, petrol prices at bowsers around the world, Australia, here in the United States, rise significantly. And obviously, as I say, if this escalation continues, well, the pressure on that oil price, it's only going to grow. Yeah, sure will. Jonathan Kersley, our man in Washington, thank you for that. We'll talk to you again next hour.