'You’ll find out soon': Trump hints at massive retaliation after Riyadh attack, says ‘boots on ground’ may not be needed

Speaking to NewsNation, Trump said, “We’re doing a lot of damage. We’re inflicting tremendous damage on them,” without elaborating on immediate next steps.

Asked how Washington would retaliate for the Riyadh attack, he responded cryptically: “You’ll find out soon.”

Earlier on Monday, Trump signalled that US military operations against Iran could continue indefinitely, dismissing questions about a timeline.

“Whatever the time is, it’s OK,” he told reporters at the White House. “We’re already substantially ahead of our time projections. From the beginning, we projected four to five weeks, but we have the capability to go far longer than that. Whatever it takes, we’ll do it.”

He also brushed aside suggestions that he could lose interest in a prolonged conflict. “Someone thought I would get bored. I don’t get bored. There’s nothing boring about this,” he said.

The remarks come as the United States continues joint military action with Israel amid sharply escalating regional tensions.

Iran retaliated with a barrage of missiles and armed drones targeting Tel Aviv, US military bases across the region, and key energy infrastructure.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed on the first day of the conflict — a development that has plunged the country into political uncertainty and heightened fears of a wider regional war.

US and Israeli officials described the strikes as part of a broader campaign aimed at dismantling Iran’s ruling establishment and degrading its military and nuclear command structure.

Khamenei, who succeeded Ruhollah Khomeini after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, had been Iran’s most powerful political and religious authority for more than three decades, shaping both domestic governance and Tehran’s confrontational stance toward the West.

His reported killing marks a dramatic escalation in hostilities, deepening instability across the Middle East and raising concerns of a prolonged regional conflict.