U.S. President Donald Trump has declared that American military operations against Iran will continue until he is satisfied that Washington has achieved its objectives, warning of intensified attacks unless Tehran agrees to a peace deal that includes abandoning its nuclear ambitions.
In an interview with Fox News aired on Tuesday, Trump said the United States would continue launching heavy strikes against Iranian targets and insisted the campaign would only end when he decided it had gone far enough.
“We’re going to hit them very hard tonight, very hard tomorrow night,” Trump said, adding that energy infrastructure would eventually be targeted.
He also warned that Iranian power plants and bridges could become targets next week if Tehran failed to return to negotiations.
According to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), another wave of military strikes was carried out late Tuesday, targeting missile and drone sites, naval capabilities and coastal defence systems near the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said the operation involved fighter aircraft, drones and naval vessels launching precision-guided munitions against dozens of military targets aimed at reducing Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping and civilian vessels in the strategic waterway.
The command also announced the resumption of a U.S. naval blockade on vessels travelling to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas.
The latest escalation followed Trump’s notification to the U.S. Congress that military operations would resume after Iran allegedly violated an earlier memorandum of understanding by attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Although Trump said he preferred a negotiated settlement, he indicated that all military options, including the possible deployment of ground forces, remained under consideration, particularly in relation to Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.
“You better make a deal, or you’re not going to have anything left,” the president warned during the interview.
Trump also expressed scepticism about continuing diplomatic negotiations, saying he did not trust Iranian negotiators because “they lie,” while revealing that his administration had remained in contact with them as recently as an hour before the interview.
He praised members of his administration for their handling of the conflict and announced that the United States was scrapping a proposed 20 per cent fee on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz that had been under consideration for Gulf states.
The renewed military campaign has heightened tensions in the Middle East, raising concerns over regional security, global energy supplies and the safety of international shipping through one of the world’s busiest oil transit routes.
