Donald Trump on Wednesday warned of more military strikes against Iran, hours after Tehran and Washington exchanged fresh attacks amid rising tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the United States was prepared to launch additional attacks on Iranian targets if a peace agreement was not reached soon.
“We’re going to hit them again hard today,” Trump said, according to the Associated Press. He added that American forces would strike Iranian positions “very hard” if negotiations continued to stall. “We were really close to a deal, but they keep tapping us along,” he said.
Trump declined to specify whether the US planned to target critical infrastructure such as bridges or power plants.
The warning followed US military strikes on Iranian sites near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after an American Apache helicopter was reportedly brought down. In response, Iran launched attacks targeting Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, all of which host US military personnel.
The latest exchange marked the second major flare up this week despite the ceasefire that had earlier raised hopes of de escalation.
Trump also accused Iran of delaying negotiations and said Tehran would now have to “pay the price” for taking too long to finalise what he described as a favourable agreement.
The US President further claimed that Iran’s military had become “a complete and total mess” and said it had effectively been “defeated.”
According to the US military’s Central Command, the latest American strikes targeted Iranian “air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites.”
Iran later acknowledged attacks near Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island but did not provide details regarding casualties or damage.
Trump once again insisted that Iran had agreed in principle not to develop nuclear weapons, but stressed that Tehran still needed to formally sign an agreement.
“All they have to do is sign the paper,” Trump said, according to Reuters.
While discussing the possibility of a deal, Trump said the United States was looking for an agreement “that is meaningful” and added, “We want a deal that works.”
The US President also made a fresh claim regarding Iranian oil exports, alleging that the United States had been secretly removing oil from Iran.
“I’m just announcing today for the first time, but we’ve been taking out millions of barrels of oil, millions of barrels every night,” Trump told reporters at the White House. He claimed Iran had “just figured it out” and argued that the operation had helped keep global oil prices lower.
“That’s why oil is $85-90 a barrel instead of $250,” Trump said.
