Trump: Hormuz to open very soon or they're going to get hit really hard

United States President Donald Trump said yesterday that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen “very soon” as negotiations with Iran continue.

Anadolu Ajansi reported him warning that Washington would take strong military action if no deal is reached.

“The Strait is going to be open very soon - or they are gonna hit very hard, and then the Strait is going to be open,” he told Fox News.

Trump said he had been prepared to launch a major attack on Iran but agreed to negotiations after Iranian officials requested talks.

“We were going to launch a tremendous attack, the biggest since World War II, and they called me and said, very politely, ‘Please, can we talk? Can we talk?’… I said, ‘Yes, we can talk. Let’s get it done. Finally, let’s get it done,’” he added.

He warned that Iran would face a severe response if it abandoned the negotiations, reiterating that Tehran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

“If they back out again, they are going to get hit really hard. They know that; they understand that. I have no choice. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple,” he said.

Trump described the US-Iran discussions as “very good”, although he acknowledged that Tehran had not publicly confirmed any progress.

“The only thing that matters is action, and they want to make a deal. We will see what happens.

“If they don’t make a deal, it’s going to be too bad,” he said.

- Bernama

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