The US President sent a new warning to Iran.

17:30, Tue, May 5, 2026 Updated: 17:48, Tue, May 5, 2026

President Trump Signs A Proclamation On The Presidential Fitness Test In The Oval Office

Trump (Image: Getty)

Donald Trump discussed "killing Iranians" in a furious rant while he was surrounded by schoolchildren on Tuesday. The US President said Iran should "do the smart thing" amid the ceasefire, adding that he doesn't want to "go in and kill people" because they're "great people".

He said: "We don't want to go in and kill people, we really don't. I don't want to. I don't want to. It's too tough. Great people, I know the people. I have so many Iranian friends from New York and from other places over the years. They're great people. I don't want to kill those people."

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Trump, surrounded by kids: "We don't want to go in and kill people. It's too tough. Great people. I know the people. I have so many Iranian friends from New York. I don't want to kill those people." pic.twitter.com/2oviLobDGr

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 5, 2026

This comes after reports surfaced suggesting Mr Trump could resume the war in Iran with fresh strikes in days.

Journalist Barak Ravid reported that a senior US administration official informed Iran in advance on Sunday about the planned operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and warned Tehran not to interfere.

This was followed on Tuesday by a message from Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who maintained that the ceasefire was still in effect.

However, Mr Ravid reported that "some senior American and Israeli officials" believe that Mr Trump could order the war to resume "later this week if the diplomatic stalemate continues".

Mr Caine said the US military is prepared to quickly resume the war if the president orders it.

The US also warned Iran on Tuesday that it's "locked and loaded" to defend Mr Trump’s "Project Freedom" in the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking at the Pentagon briefing room, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran will face "overwhelming American firepower" if they attack American troops.

He said: "To what remains of Iran’s forces, if you attack American troops or innocent commercial shipping, you will face overwhelming American firepower.

"The president has been very clear about this. We prefer this to be a peaceful mission, but we are locked and loaded to defend our people, our ships, our aircraft and this mission without hesitation."