WASHINGTON, October 8. /TASS/. The White House will not allow the American cities of San Diego and Los Angeles to be destroyed as a result of the conflict between Washington and Tehran, US President Donald Trump stated.

"I said it the other day: let them (Iran - TASS) hit a missile into San Diego or Los Angeles on the way. Let them hit. You want to see a horror show? You want to see problems? Let them hit San Diego, let them hit Los Angeles, and you want to see some bad things happen. <…> We're not going to let that happen. We protect our cities. We protect our country. We're not letting that happen," he said while addressing supporters in Texas.

The president had already spoken on Monday about the possibility of destroying these two cities. However, he did not elaborate on his remarks. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung later stated that Trump was referring to a potential threat to American cities if the US did not take military action against Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program.

The US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon. However, in the early morning hours of July 8, the US resumed large-scale strikes against Iran, accusing it of violating the terms of the agreements reached on the Strait of Hormuz. Nearly 25% of the global oil trade and about 20% of the liquefied natural gas trade pass through the strait. The US administration then effectively signaled that it would cease the use of large-scale military force against Iran and shift to attempting to economically strangle the country through sanctions.