Trump Says US Hit Iran ‘Much Harder’ After Deliberate Ship Attacks; Shares Post Claiming US Strike on Iranshahr Airport

WASHINGTON, July 9: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States had retaliated "much harder" after Iran allegedly attacked three ships, warning that Washington would continue to respond with overwhelming force to any future attacks.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said the latest US strikes were carried out in retaliation for the previous night's incident and declared that the US would respond at a ratio of "20 to one" whenever Iran launches attacks.

"We hit them much harder," Trump said, adding that the United States would maintain a strong military response against any Iranian aggression.

Separately, Trump shared a post on Truth Social referring to reported US strikes on Iranshahr Airport in southeastern Iran. The post, citing an open-source intelligence (OSINT) account, claimed local officials confirmed the strike and said the airport is partially used by the IRGC Aerospace Force.

Trump also said Iran had contacted the United States seeking a deal but questioned whether Tehran could be trusted to honor any agreement.

"There are many ways we can win it. We already won militarily and they have a little left and they want to make a deal so badly," Trump said. "They called a little while ago, they want to make a deal so badly. I just do not know if they are worthy of making a deal. I do not know if they can honor the deal, that is the problem."

His remarks come as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate following a fresh exchange of military strikes.