US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States is not done with its military operations against Iran and urged oil companies to continue using the Strait of Hormuz despite the ongoing conflict in the region, ANI reported.
Trump claimed Iran was paying a heavy price after causing “47 years’ worth of damage” globally and asserted that US strikes had already inflicted significant losses.
“We have hit them harder than virtually any country in history has been hit, and we’re not finished yet. They’ve inflicted 47 years’ worth of damage to the world, and now they’re paying a big price,” Trump said.
The US president also said that several global leaders had expressed surprise at the scale of the ongoing military campaign.
“I just spoke with the leaders of various countries, and they said they’ve never seen anything like it. I built it during my first term, and I didn’t realise I was going to use it this much, but we have the greatest military in the world by far — nobody close,” he said.
Trump further claimed that US forces had severely weakened Iran’s naval capabilities and called on energy companies to continue shipping oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
“I think oil companies should use the Strait of Hormuz. We took out just about all of their mine ships in one night… just about all of their navy is gone. We’re doing something that nobody ever thought was possible to do,” he said.
US military operations
US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said Washington’s military operations are aimed at weakening Iran’s ability to threaten American interests and allies.
“We are on a path to eliminating Iran’s ability to threaten Americans and our friends, and we are achieving this through a combination of lethality, precision, and rapid innovation,” Cooper said.
When asked about reports of a strike on a school in southern Iran that reportedly killed 175 people, most of them children, Trump said he was unaware of the incident.
Iran warns of retaliation
Meanwhile, Iran’s senior military spokesperson warned that Tehran would retaliate if its ports were targeted, ANI reported citing Al Jazeera.
The warning came shortly after the United Nations military issued an advisory asking civilians in Iran to immediately avoid port facilities along the Strait of Hormuz where Iranian naval forces are operating, ANI reported citing Al Jazeera.
The Iranian spokesperson said ports across the region would become “legitimate targets” if Iranian ports were attacked, ANI reported citing Al Jazeera.
