In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said the United States would be “hitting Iran… VERY HARD TONIGHT.”
He added that at some point in the not too distant future the United States would be taking Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure points and assume total control of their oil and gas markets much like it has with Venezuela which he said is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America.
Trump also told Fox News that U.S. forces would “bomb the s— out of Iran tonight” if Tehran refused to sign a peace agreement.
The threats come after the United States and Iran exchanged strikes for a second consecutive day on Wednesday following the downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s foreign ministry condemned what it described as “blatant aggression” by the U.S. amid the renewed attacks and dismissed the ceasefire reached in April as “meaningless”.
Iran later launched strikes on Bahrain Kuwait and Jordan in retaliation for the latest U.S. attacks.
A drone interception in Bahrain injured an 11 year old girl and caused damage to homes and vehicles in the capital Manama according to the country’s Interior Ministry.
Iran’s military also announced that the Strait of Hormuz a critical waterway through which approximately 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass is now closed to all maritime traffic.
However U.S. Central Command maintained that the waterway remained open.
The escalation comes just days after Trump said a peace deal with Iran could be reached within two or three days adding that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen immediately following any agreement.
He has since accused Iran of taking too long to agree to terms warning that the country would pay the price.
The conflict between the United States Israel and Iran began on 28 February when U.S. and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran that killed the country’s supreme leader.
Iran responded with attacks on Israel and U.S. allied states across the Gulf with the conflict quickly spreading across the region including parts of Lebanon.
