Trump Says Iran Strikes Will Continue Until ‘I Say It’s Enough’

During a Tuesday, July 24 interview with Fox News, Trump said US forces would ‘hit them very hard tonight, very hard tomorrow night’ as part of an intense campaign with no end date beyond his own judgment.

‘I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,’ Trump warned.

‘We’re going to hit them very hard the night after, and then next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants.’

According to Trump, bridges would become targets the following week unless Iran agreed to negotiate a peace settlement that involved abandoning its nuclear program.

He reiterated that the strikes would go on ‘until I say it’s enough.’

CENTCOM issued an update late Tuesday confirming that a fresh round of strikes had wrapped up, striking numerous military sites close to the Strait of Hormuz and along Iran’s coastline.

‘US fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels launched precision munitions against Iranian missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, and coastal defense systems during the seven-hour wave to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping and civilian crews,’ the update said.

American forces also reinstated the naval blockade targeting ships moving to and from Iranian ports and coastal regions.

Related: Iranians Chant “Kill Trump” As Nation Buries Assassinated Supreme Leader Khamenei

This latest wave of US airstrikes follows Trump’s notification to Congress that hostilities would resume after Iran violated the existing memorandum of understanding by attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump left open the possibility of deploying American ground troops to secure his primary goals, particularly the removal of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile.

While US forces have taken care to avoid harming Iranian civilians during the strikes, Trump cautioned that no option was off the table.

‘You better make a deal, or you’re not going to have anything left,’ he said.

The President compared Iran to ‘a great boxer’ that still needed to be knocked down for good.

‘You think you have them beat, then they’ll come back and give you a shot,’ Trump said.

Later in the Fox News interview, Trump indicated he had little appetite for further negotiations with Iran, explaining that ‘they lie.’

He noted that his most recent contact with Iranian negotiators had taken place just an hour before the interview.

Trump commended his Cabinet’s handling of the Iran situation, singling out Pete Hegseth, and noted that ‘oil is flowing like never before.’

He also revealed plans to eliminate the 20 percent fee the US had been charging various Gulf States for use of the Strait of Hormuz.