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President Donald Trump has reportedly threatened to deal more harshly than ever with Iran should the regime strike out at U.S. vessels in the Middle East region amid the implementation of a new naval operation aimed at freeing up the Strait of Hormuz.
Fox News’ Trey Yingst said that President Trump warned that Iranians targeting U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf or in the Strait of Hormuz would be “blown off the face of the earth.”
According to Yingst, the president also suggested that, as pressure escalates amid U.S. naval presence, Iranians are “far more malleable” in terms of the ongoing negotiations.
President Trump announced “Project Freedom” on Sunday – a U.S. naval effort to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to facilitate the flow of oil, fertilizer, and other critical supplies through the key shipping corridor.
“Countries from all over the World, almost all of which are not involved in the Middle Eastern dispute going on so visibly, and violently, for all to see, have asked the United States if we could help free up their Ships, which are locked up in the Strait of Hormuz, on something which they have absolutely nothing to do with — They are merely neutral and innocent bystanders!” the president wrote on Truth Social.
He continued, “For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.”
Central Command Adm. Brad Cooper allegedly told reporters on Monday that Iran had attempted to launch missiles at U.S. Navy ships, prompting speculation as to whether such a potential action was a violation of the ceasefire, and of course, whether President Trump would respond.
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social shortly after this report and said that Iran “has taken some shots at unrelated Nations with respect to the Ship Movement, PROJECT FREEDOM, including a South Korean Cargo Ship.”
He noted that U.S. forces had “shot down” seven Iranian fast boats, and said that, other than damage to a single South Korean vessel, “there has been, at this moment, no damage going through the Strait.”
ABC’s Jonathan Karl reported that he had a phone conversation with President Trump on Monday afternoon, noting that the president “stopped short of saying Iran has violated the ceasefire.”
He also clarified the situation regarding the South Korean ship: it was “riding by itself,” the president told Karl. “It was not an escorted ship.”
