Both President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Age” on Wednesday night.
“We’re going to bring them back to the stone ages where they belong,” Trump said during a prime-time address while threatening to hit Iran “extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.”
On Wednesday, Trump reiterated that he would target Iranian energy infrastructure if Iran didn’t reach a deal to end the war. He’s also suggested the U.S. could attack the country’s desalination facilities, fueling concerns that he would intentionally decimate civilian infrastructure and commit a war crime. (Iran has also responded with its own threats.)
The phrase about bombing “back to the Stone Age” was used by Gen. Curtis LeMay, the Air Force chief of staff during the Vietnam War who also oversaw the extensive bombing of Japan during World War II. (LeMay later disputed how his comments were characterized.)
Correction: An earlier version of this article mischaracterized the role of Gen. Curtis LeMay during World War II.
