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President Donald Trump threatened Tuesday to expand military strikes and continue to hit Iran “very hard” until it returns to the negotiating table, lamenting that every time a deal is made, Tehran breaks its promise.
“We’re going to hit them very hard tonight,” he said in an exclusive interview with Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst. “We’re going to hit them hard tomorrow night. We’re gonna hit them really hard the night after.”
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has conducted consecutive strikes near the Strait of Hormuz over the past several days, and Trump said the operations will continue until he determines it is “enough.”
TRUMP SAYS US WILL STRIKE IRAN ‘VERY HARD’ AGAIN TODAY
“Next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants,” the president warned. “Next week comes the bridges. We’re gonna knock out all their power plants. We’re going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate.”
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President Trump made the comments after he walked back plans to charge a 20% toll on all vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, Middle Eastern nations will make “massive” investment and trade deals with the United States, Trump said.
“I was going to charge a fee, but instead they’d rather spend a lot of money in the United States, which frankly is better because I don’t like the idea of a fee,” he said in the interview aired on “Special Report.”
US CLAWS BACK KEY CONCESSION TO IRAN AFTER FRESH ATTACKS ON COMMERCIAL SHIPS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ
The U.S. also reimposed its naval blockade on Iranian ports in the strait at Trump’s order.
Trump, who said U.S. representatives recently spoke with Iranian negotiators, expressed frustration over what he described as Iran’s tendency to break promises and warned the country will face severe consequences if it fails to reach an agreement.
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“They want to make a deal. But every time they make a deal, they break it,” the president said.
TRUMP WARNS IRAN’S ‘CLOCK IS TICKING’: MOVE ‘FAST’ OR ‘THERE WON’T BE ANYTHING LEFT’
“You better make a deal. You’re not going to have anybody left. We’re being very careful with the civilian population, as you know, but I said, ‘You better make a deal you’re going to not have anything left.'”
Trump said his military objectives in Iran, including keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, have been achieved despite traffic through the waterway being down roughly 90% from normal levels Monday.
“I think they’re completed now, honestly,” the president said. “If we left right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild what they have.”
Yingst asked Trump about new activity at a nuclear site outside Tehran previously hit by U.S. strikes. Trump dismissed it as not a main concern.
“We can hit that one very easily. You know, it only takes a matter of minutes for us to do it and do major damage. Major damage,” he said. “And when they know it’s coming, they disappear.”
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The president touted “tremendous progress” in degrading Iran’s military capabilities while admitting Tehran still retains some ability to fight, comparing the country to a boxer.
“They’ve been degraded to a very low level,” Trump said. “And they have fight. You know? It’s like a great boxer. You think you have him beat, and then, all of a sudden, he comes back, and he gives you a shot. They have some fight left, but they don’t have much.”
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