Dean Porter
President Trump warned on Wednesday that the fragile ceasefire with Iran could collapse further, saying "we'll probably hit them hard again tonight" and floating a return of the US blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump Floats Reimposing the Hormuz Blockade
Speaking in Turkey alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump said the United States "may put it back" when asked about the blockade that once kept Iranian vessels from transiting the strait. The US enforced that blockade from April until last month, when Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding to reopen the waterway and start broader talks. Trump said any renewed blockade would target only Iran, though he admitted that Iran's own strikes on ships and suspected mining activity already complicate shipping in the region.
Kharg Island Back in the Conversation
Trump also revived talk of the US taking control of Kharg Island, the seaport that handles as much as 90 percent of Iran's oil exports. He confirmed that Tuesday night's strikes hit the island directly, saying, "I said don't touch the oil because maybe we'll take over Kharg Island." He has raised this idea repeatedly since the conflict began, at one point in April saying he would leave the island alone because Americans wanted troops to come home rather than take on new commitments abroad.
He suggested Wednesday that further strikes could follow overnight, adding of Iran, "there's not a thing they can do about it."
What Prompted the Latest Strikes
The renewed threats follow Iranian attacks on three vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week. US Central Command said the American military answered on Tuesday night by hitting more than 80 targets, mostly small Iranian boats accused of harassing commercial ships in the waterway.
Curtis Hernandez
Douglas Turner