White House urges Iran to back off of nuclear ambitions, warns Trump is 'prepared to unleash hell'

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a stark warning Wednesday to Iran, claiming President Donald Trump was prepared to "unleash hell" on the Middle Eastern country if it did not back off of its nuclear ambitions.

The United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran last month, which eliminated key Iranian leadership including its former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the U.S. has since wiped out significant portions of Iran's Navy.

The warning comes after the U.S. reportedly sent Iran a 15-point peace proposal on Tuesday, which included a promise that Iran would no longer seek to build nuclear weapons, but Iran has not formally agreed to the proposal so far.

"President Trump does not bluff, and he is prepared to unleash hell," Leavitt said. "Iran should not miscalculate again. Their last miscalculation cost them their senior leadership, their navy, their air force and their air defense system.

"Any violence beyond this point will be because the Iranian regime refused to understand they have already been defeated and refused to come to a deal," she added. 

Leavitt said Operation Epic Fury, which is intended to cripple Iran's military infrastructure, has caused more damage to Iran's nuclear plans than the bombing in Operation Midnight Hammer last year.

"From the outset, President Trump and the Department of War estimated it would take approximately four to six weeks to achieve this critical mission," Leavitt said. "25 days in and the greatest military the world has ever known is ahead of schedule and performing exceptionally day by day. The Iranian regime is being crippled, and their ability to threaten the United States and our allies is being significantly weakened.

"Their ambitions of building a nuclear weapon have also been crushed to an even greater degree than they were in Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025," she continued. "That's why you're beginning to see the regime look for an exit ramp."

Leavitt added that Iran does not need to experience any more death or destruction but the U.S. will continue striking the Middle Eastern country if it "fails to accept the reality of the current moment, if they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily and will continue to be."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.