Every country Trump has attacked or threatened to attack during his second presidency
As unrest in the Middle East continues, it's the latest addition to a line of targets for the US president in his second term
Donald Trump promised to put 'America first' again when he returned to office and has been enacting that with attacks and threats to several countries around the world.
It’s hard to believe that Trump's second term only started in January 2025.
Since then, the 79-year-old president has carried out a swathe of attacks against places which he said 'directly threaten' the interests of the US.
Most recently, he ordered a series of strikes in Iran, which resulted in the death of their Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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Since then, following the action by the US and Israel, there has been unrest and travel chaos in Dubai and further afield, with airports closed and thousands of flights grounded.
It comes after the POTUS ordered the shock capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro and multiple other threats.
Here is everywhere the president has attacked, or threatened to attack, since he took office in January 2025.
Somalia
Just days into his second term, Trump ordered strikes against the Islamic State (IS) group in Somalia.
He said: “The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians. Our Military has targeted this Isis Attack Planner for years, but Biden and his cronies wouldn’t act quickly enough to get the job done. I did!”
Trump added: “The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that 'WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!”
In January 2026, he ordered further strikes on al-Shabab, after calling Somalia a ‘hell hole’.
That same month, his administration revealed they were ending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali immigrants, in a bid to make it easier to deport people.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at the time: “Country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law's requirement.”
As of 17 March, some 2,500 Somalis will lose the TPS and become eligible for deportation.
Noem told the BBC: “Temporary means temporary. Further, allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests. We are putting Americans first.”
Iraq
The US is no stranger to conflict in Iraq, with decades of unrest overseen by the president’s predecessors, including Barack Obama and George W. Bush.
In March 2025, Trump ordered a series of airstrikes and counterterrorism attacks in Iraq, which he said was providing ‘peace through strength’.
The airstrike killed a high-profile IS member, Abdallah ‘Abu Khadijah’ Makki Muslih al-Rifai.
Trump celebrated on X, and wrote: “Today the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed. He was relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters.”
The president continued: “His miserable life was terminated, along with another member of ISIS, in coordination with the Iraqi Government and the Kurdish Regional Government. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!”
Following the recent strikes in Iran, Trump has called on Kurdish leaders in Iraq to discuss the possibility of arming Kurds there in a bid to use opposition forces against Tehran.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “President Trump has been in contact with many allies and partners in the region throughout the past several days... with respect to our base that we have in northern Iraq.”
Yemen
March 2025 also saw Trump launching a 'decisive and powerful' attack on Yemen’s Houthi Rebels, after they began targeting ships in the Red Sea which were linked to the war in Gaza.
According to the New York Times, Trump ordered more than 1,100 strikes on the rebels, spending more than $1 billion on the attacks.
On Truth Social, the president penned: “Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at US aircraft, and targeted our Troops and Allies.”
He also criticised their 'piracy, violence, and terrorism'.
Despite this, the Rebels reportedly started attacking ships again in July, sinking a Greek-owned carrier using drones, missiles and grenades.
Trump said such action 'will not be tolerated, we will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective'.
Addressing the Houthi Rebels directly, he wrote: “HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE.”
Iran
On February 28 of this year, Trump launched 'major combat operations' in Iran.
The strikes lead to the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and has caused retaliatory action from Iran against numerous high profile spots in Dubai, including several famous hotels, the airport, and the US consulate.
A US tanker reportedly caught on fire in the Gulf after a strike from Iran, following warnings that the US would 'come to regret' sinking an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean.
It comes after the US took out the IRIS Dena with a torpedo hit, killing at least 87, according to Sky News.
Trump's actions followed numerous warnings from the US and Israel that they would strike Iran if they did not halt a nuclear missile programme.
Following the strikes, the Trump has ordered the Islamic Revolutionary Guard in Iran to lay down their weapons.
He said if they do, they will be offered immunity, otherwise they will face 'certain death'.
Trump said the attacks only happened because Iran 'rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions'.
This latest wave of attacks follows military action from Israel in June last year, where the US then intervened and bombed several of Iran's nuclear sites.
The president wrote on Truth Social: “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.”
“All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow.”
Syria
On 19 December, 2025, the US commenced Operation Hawkeye Strike against the Islamic State in Syria.
The action followed the killing of two US soldiers and a civilian US interpreter in the country, which also injured three other US military personnel and two members of Syria’s security services.
Trump placed the blame for the attack on IS, but Syrian officials insist it was a former member of the security services seeking revenge after he was facing dismissal.
Operation Hawkeye Strike saw the US attack more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria with fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery.
Nigeria
On Christmas Day 2025, Trump said he wanted to 'protect Christians' in the country, and ordered a series of 'powerful and deadly' strikes against militants linked to the Islamic State group in Sokoto state, near the border with Niger.
Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of War said: “The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end. The Department of War is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas.”
He added: “Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas! More to come…”
Venezuela
The world was shocked when Trump ordered the overnight capture of Nicolás Maduro on 3 January.
US Special Forces raided Maduro's home in Caracas, as part of a mission called Operation Absolute Resolve.
The Venezuelan president was extradited to the US alongside his wife Cilia Flores, to face criminal charges of 'narco-terrorism' in New York.
However, Trump's office insists that is was not a declaration of war against Venezuela and that no further action was planned.
The POTUS did stress he was 'not afraid of boots on the ground' if it came to it.
Following the extradition of Maduro, Trump claimed the US would be in charge of Venezuelan crude oil supplies and the running of the country.
Trump announced in a press conference: “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.”
He confirmed: “We don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years, so we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.
“And it has to be judicious, because that’s what we’re all about. We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela, and that includes many from Venezuela that are now living in the United States and want to go back to their country, it’s their homeland.”
This was despite Venezuela appointing Delcy Rodríguez as its acting president.
Mexico and Columbia
Trump has long blamed Mexico for allegedly failing to control drug cartels in the country.
He warned that Mexico 'has to get their act together' or 'we’re going to have to do something'.
Following the news of the raid on Venezuela's Maduro, Trump warned Colombian President Gustavo Petro that his country could be next.
Trump told reporters: “Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long.”
Greenland
Trump has been vocal about his desire for Greenland to become US controlled, and believes it is key for the 'national security' of his country.
Greenland is classified as a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
He made it clear that he does not want Greenland to become owned by Russia or China, and insisted he would take ownership of it 'one way or the other' and previously refused to rule out military action to do so.
In January, Germany, France and Sweden sent troops to the region, which caused Trump to threaten to slap tariffs on any country that prevents him taking control of Greenland, angering NATO allies.
He threatened to add a 10 percent tariff to Denmark, the UK, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden from 1 February, rising to 25 percent on 1 June, 'until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland'.
Trump then had a discussion with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum at Davos, where it is said he changed his mind and said tariffs would not be imposed.
According to the House of Commons Library, while speaking at the forum, Trump said: “I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force. All the US is asking for is a place called Greenland. You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no and we will remember.”
He added: “There’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there’s everything we can do. You found that out last week with Venezuela.”
Leaders in Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly stated that the country is not for sale.
Topics: US News, Politics, Donald Trump, Iran, Israel
Jen Thomas