Washington, DC: Even as his deputy J D Vance was holding talks in Switzerland with an Iranian delegation about lasting peace in the Middle East, US president was at his abusive best when it came to warning Tehran against closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Washington would respond with overwhelming force to any blockade of the vital shipping lane, Trump said on Sunday, after Iran announced its closure due to Israeli strikes against the Hezbollah in Lebanon..
“You close it, and you won’t have a country. You won’t even make it back to your f***ng country,” Trump told Fox News.
Washington could assume direct operational control to secure the global shipping corridor and potentially levy transit fees on oil shipments navigating the waters, he suggested.
“We may take over the Strait if we have to. I’ll blo
w the sh*t out of them,” he said, adding: “We may take over the Strait if we have to. I’ll blow the sh*t out of them.”
Washington would respond with overwhelming force to any blockade of the vital shipping lane, the Republican leader said.
“If they don’t make a deal, we’ll collect tolls,” Trump said, warning of economic measures if diplomatic discussions stall.
The United States could enforce its own maritime tariffs on vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz if a conclusive agreement with Iran is not finalised within 60 days, Trump had earlier said. He argued that the proposed fees would serve as compensation for security operations conducted by the US military, which he described as acting as a “Guardian Angel” for nations across West Asia.
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, had reiterated that Tehran would not relinquish its right to enrich uranium, asserting that the United States “will have no choice but to accept this right”.
The US president had reacted by cautioning Tehran against confrontational rhetoric. “He better watch his mouth. He better shape up, or we will take over the rest of the country,” he told Fox News.
Washington maintains multiple strategic alternatives should Iran fail to deliver substantive commitments towards a comprehensive pact, Trump said.
He claimed that 19 million barrels of crude oil had successfully moved through the Persian Gulf on Saturday, following a Memorandum of Understanding reached with Iran.