President Donald Trump issued a dramatic new threat to Iran on Monday as the ceasefire appeared to be collapsing over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The president, 79, spoke with Fox News, where he warned Iran would be “blown off the face of the earth” if they tried to target U.S. ships in the area.
That’s according to the network’s chief foreign correspondent, Trey Yingst, who spoke to Trump for 20 minutes.
“We have more weapons and ammunition at a much higher grade than we had before,” Trump said in the interview. “We have the best equipment. We have stuff all over the world. We have these bases all over the world. They’re all stocked up with equipment. We can use all of that stuff, and we will, if we need it.”
The president also claimed that the Iranians have been much more “malleable” as they look to negotiate and touted the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports as “the greatest military maneuver in history.”
But it comes as tension between the U.S. and Iran escalated on Monday in the Strait after the U.S. launched “Project Freedom” to help commercial ships move through the crucial waterway.
According to U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper, the U.S. military had already blown up six small Iranian boats in the Strait on Monday.
He said it was in response to Iran launching multiple cruise missiles, drones, and small boats at the U.S. Navy ships and the vessels they were protecting, and the military responded by using Apache and SH-60 Seahawk helicopters.
While the U.S. has opened a way through the strait, Cooper indicated the U.S. was not “escorting” individual ships one by one through the bottleneck.
Instead, he told reporters that the U.S. has opened up one way through and was using “multiple layers,” including ships, helicopters, aircraft and electronic warfare to create a “broader defensive package” in the Strait.
In a Truth Social post on Monday afternoon, Trump claimed that Iran had taken shots at “unrelated” nations and demanded that other countries get involved.
“Iran has taken some shots at unrelated Nations with respect to the Ship Movement, PROJECT FREEDOM, including a South Korean Cargo Ship,” he wrote. “Perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission! We’ve shot down seven small Boats or, as they like to call them, ‘fast’ Boats. It’s all they have left.”
It was not a confidence-inspiring message for shipping through the Strait, which has been at a near standstill since the U.S. launched strikes against Iran more than two months ago.
The president insisted that other than the South Korean ship, “there has been, at this moment, no damage going through the Strait.”
As the U.S. and Iran clashed on Monday over shipping through the Strait, the United Arab Emirates warned people to remain safe as it responded to a missile threat.
