Donald Trump vows to bomb Iran ‘at a lot increased depth’ if no deal agreed
Donald Trump has paused US efforts to guide stranded vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz in the hope of reaching a deal with Iran
Trump has warned that bombings could restart at a higher intensity if a deal isn’t reached(Image: Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
Donald Trump warns that if Iran doesn’t agree to a peace deal then bombing will resume “at a much higher level and intensity”.
The US President had said he was pausing the US effort to guide stranded vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz to allow time for a deal to end the Iran war, but that the American forces’ blockade of ports would remain in place.
Iran’s effective closure of the strait, through which major oil and gas supplies passed before the war, along with fertilizer and other petroleum products, has sent fuel prices skyrocketing and rattled the global economy. Breaking Iran’s grip would deny its main source of leverage as Trump demands a major rollback of Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.
READ MORE: Donald Trump says ‘Project Freedom is paused’ as Strait of Hormuz US blockade goes onREAD MORE: Iran war live: Marco Rubio says ‘at least 10 Hormuz sailors dead’ as more starve
There is currently a fragile ceasefire in place giving room for negotiations, and now Trump has attempted to put pressure on Iran by saying that failure to reach an agreement will lead to more bombing – with more “intensity” than before.
Writing on Truth Social, he said: “Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran.
“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Trump said the pause in guiding ships through the Strait of Hormuz was based “on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran.”
But it appears as though negotiations have largely stalled in the conflict that started on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing on Wednesday morning, the official Xinhua news agency reported, without providing further details.
It was the first time since the start of the war that Araghchi has travelled to China, whose close economic and political ties to Tehran give it a unique position of influence.
Earlier in Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had expressed hope that Beijing would reiterate to Tehran the need to release its chokehold on the strait, which is a vital waterway for global energy.
