US President Donald Trump warned Iran overnight that it would face far more severe military action if it carries out further attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, posting the message above an image showing a facility in the city of Chabahar engulfed in flames and smoke.
Threat of stronger retaliation
Speaking later to reporters aboard Air Force One after departing Ankara, where he had attended the NATO summit, Trump escalated his warning.
“We'll hit them very hard. Every time they hit us, we'll hit back 20 times harder,” the US president said.
He suggested that Iran's latest actions were likely retaliation for the US strikes carried out the previous day.
“They did a small thing today, but it was probably retaliation,” Trump added.
Mixed messages on ceasefire
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump appeared to send conflicting signals regarding the conflict between Washington and Tehran.
On the one hand, he suggested that the ceasefire arrangement between the two sides had effectively “ended” following renewed exchanges of fire that have tested efforts to bring the Middle East conflict to a close.
At the same time, however, he insisted that the latest hostilities would end “very quickly” and left the door open for further negotiations with Tehran.
The comments came amid heightened tensions following US strikes on Iranian targets and attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy transit route.
Source: CNA
