Washington: US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Iran against any military action, stating that he would hit the nation with a "force that has never been seen before".  

Donald Trump Issues Stark Warning Amid Escalating US–Iran Tensions

"Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. They better not do that, however, because if they do, we will hit them with a force never been seen before! Thank you for your attention to this matter," Trump said in a statement.

This came as Iran's Islamic Republic Guard Corps (IRGC) has vowed to punish the "murderers" of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following the confirmation of his death by state television, and promised that the response will be the "most ferocious offensive operation in history" against the US and Israel.

In a statement posted on its official Telegram page, the IRGC said, "The hand of revenge of the Iranian nation for a severe, decisive and regrettable punishment for the murderers of the Imam of the Ummah will not let go of them." 

It further said that the IRGC, the Armed Forces, and the Basij forces will "powerfully continue the path of their leader in defending his legacy, standing firm against internal and external plots and delivering what it described as a lesson-giving punishment to aggressors against the Islamic homeland."

Operation True Promise 4: Iranian Strikes Target US Assets Across Region

The IRGC announced that it has launched the fifth wave of Operation True Promise 4, targeting American vessels across the region, including in the Indian Ocean, carrying ammunition and refuelling tankers. 

In a statement, the IRGC said, "In the fifth wave of Operation True Promise 4 in the Indian Ocean, the MSP vessel, on an ammunition-carrying mission for American vessels, was hit at the Jabel Ali anchorage by four drones and has been completely put out of service following successive damage and explosions."

The IRGC stated that the American naval base in the Abdullah Al-Mubarak region of Kuwait was struck by four ballistic missiles and 12 drones. 

It claimed that all of the base's primary infrastructure was destroyed and that a significant number of American forces were killed or wounded in the attack.

"Also, the MST-class combat support ship, on a mission as a refuelling tanker for American vessels in the Indian Ocean region, was hit by Iranian Qadr 380 missiles," the IRGC said.

"The fighters of the Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, following the fighters of the aerospace field, will keep the gates of hell open to the enemy units," it added.

Khamenei was killed in an epochal attack by the US and Israel, marking an inflexion point in the 46-year Shia-theocratic rule, as Tehran's retaliation set off conflagrations in a swath of the Middle East. 

(IANS)