President Donald Trump threatened severe consequences against Iran if it stopped the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
After a day of boasting that the Strait of Hormuz was effectively back open, Trump hit out at Tehran over the possibility that it could try to close the sea lane in a post on Truth Social.
“If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far. Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again — Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them — But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen!” he warned.
Trump then portrayed his threat as a “gift” from the United States to China and other nations that are heavily reliant on the strait.
“Hopefully, it is a gesture that will be greatly appreciated,” he added.
Trump boasted of the U.S.’s military successes throughout Monday, portraying the Iranian military as essentially defeated.
“I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” Trump told CBS News. “[Iran has] no navy, no communications, they’ve got no air force. Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones.”
“If you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense,” he added.
After initially estimating the war could take up to a month, Trump said the operation was “very far ahead of schedule.
In the same interview, he said the U.S. “could do a lot” to protect the Strait of Hormuz.
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“They’ve shot everything they have to shoot, and they better not try anything cute, or it’s going to be the end of that country. … If they do anything bad, that would be the end of Iran, and you’d never hear the name again,” he threatened, saying the strait was now open but that he was still “thinking about taking it over.”
Operation Epic Fury is the most intensive military operation undertaken by the U.S. since the Gulf War, with the number of sorties outpacing the 2003 invasion of Iraq by two times. The U.S. and Israel continued hitting dozens of targets throughout Iran on Monday.
