08/07/2026
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08/07/2026
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ANKARA, July 8: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday escalated his rhetoric against Iran, saying Washington could reimpose a naval blockade on the country, consider taking control of Iran's strategic Kharg Island, launch additional military strikes, and even abandon efforts to negotiate a new nuclear agreement.
Speaking to reporters during the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said the United States could restore a naval blockade aimed exclusively at Iran.
"We may put it back — the blockade — and it'll only be a blockade for Iran. Anybody else can have whatever they want."
Trump also suggested the United States could take control of Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export terminal in the Persian Gulf, while warning that further military action remained on the table.
"We may take over Kharg Island."
The US president said American forces had struck drones, missiles, coastal defense systems, radar installations and surveillance facilities that he claimed Iran had used to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Anything they thought they had rebuilt or capability they were using was a target last night. Tonight, if we need to... we will hit even more and even deeper."
Trump added that US strikes had also targeted Iran's electricity infrastructure and other facilities linked to military operations.
"We hit their electricity. We hit the things they need to operate."
He warned that additional infrastructure could be targeted if Iran continued what he described as hostile actions.
On diplomacy, Trump signaled that Washington might walk away from negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, saying the United States could achieve its objectives without a formal agreement.
"I don't know if we're going to have a deal. We may just do it without a deal, because you know what, it's easier."
He accused Iranian leaders of failing to honor commitments made during negotiations.
"They lie and they cheat."
Trump also renewed his criticism of former President Barack Obama's nuclear agreement with Iran, calling it "one of the worst tragedies" in the Middle East.
"Our deal is a wall to a nuclear weapon. His deal was a road to a nuclear weapon."
The US president further accused Iran of being responsible for the deaths of American soldiers over the past four decades and blamed former Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani for attacks using roadside bombs against US forces.
Trump's remarks come amid heightened military tensions between Washington and Tehran following recent US strikes on Iranian military infrastructure and escalating security concerns in the Gulf region.