IBNS-CMEDIA: US President Donald Trump on Monday warned that the United States would strike Iran “twenty times harder” if Tehran attempts to disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He further warned that the US could target critical Iranian assets. “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 said.
Trump added that ensuring the uninterrupted flow of oil through the strategic waterway benefits major global economies.
“This is a gift from the United States of America to China and all those nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait. Hopefully, it is a gesture that will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he wrote.
Earlier, Trump also expressed dissatisfaction with the selection of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei.
Speaking to Fox News anchor Brian Kilmeade, Trump said he was “not happy” about the appointment. Hours before the official announcement, Trump told ABC News that any new Iranian leader would need US approval to remain in power.
“He’s going to have to get approval from us,” the president told ABC News. “If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long. We want to make sure that we don’t have to go back every 10 years when you don’t have a president like me who’s not going to do it.”
He added, “I don’t want people to have to go back in five years and deal with the same thing again, or worse, let them have a nuclear weapon.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s Assembly of Experts has officially appointed Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei as the new Leader of the Islamic Revolution, more than a week after the death of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israel strikes.
In an official statement quoted by Tehran Times, the Assembly said: “After careful and extensive deliberations, and drawing upon the authority granted under Article 108 of the Constitution, the Assembly of Experts has, by a decisive vote of its honorable members, appointed Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei (may God protect him) as the third Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. We pray to Almighty God for continued grace and favour upon this country and its great people.”
