Donald Trump told Fox News on Sunday that he threatened to “take over” Iran if the Strait of Hormuz was not immediately re-opened.
The president’s latest round of threats came in response to news Saturday that Iran was once again closing the key waterway, just days after signing an agreement to ensure that traffic could flow through. Iran announced that it would close the Strait of Hormuz after Israeli forces continued an all-out assault into Lebanon aimed at dislodging Hezbollah militants.
Fox’s Trey Yingst reported on Sunday that in an early morning phone call, the US president said he’d warned Iranian officials directly that “you close [the Strait of Hormuz] and you won’t have a country.”
“You won’t even make it back to your f**king country,” Yingst said the president claimed to have relayed to the Iranians, adding: “We’ll take over the rest of the country.”
The threat to occupy Iran as a whole is a new step for the president, who has been seeking a way out of the war he began since the conflict kicked off in February. In the days leading up to the ceasefire extension signing on Wednesday, the president was reportedly considering plans to deploy US military forces with the goal of occupying Kharg Island, a major Iranian oil industry hub.
This is a breaking news report. More to follow…