US President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he preferred a diplomatic solution but insisted the US retained the ability to strike key Iranian infrastructure if necessary.
United States President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran, declaring that the US is prepared to completely dismantle the country’s infrastructure “in a small part of an afternoon” if a diplomatic deal cannot be reached.
“We’re going to win one way or the other. We’re going to make a deal or we’re going to finish the job, okay. And it won’t be tough to finish the job,” Trump was quoted as saying.
Trump said that he would prefer a deal with Iran as he doesn’t want to “affect 91 million people.”
“We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply. We can knock out their electricity and power generating plants. And I would say in a small part of an afternoon, every plant will be gone. And they know that,” Trump said.
On the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, Trump said, “Three weeks ago, in one night, 22 ships came out of the Strait. The famous Strait of Hormuz, nobody ever heard of it before, but it’s a huge money machine. We took out so much oil that people didn’t even realise it.”
Trump remarks came as negotiations between the US and Iran remain on hold for the funeral ceremonies of former Iranian Supreme Leader late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Earlier, reacting to Khamenei’s funeral, Trump told Axios that he was “shocked” by the massive turnout. “I was shocked. I thought people hated him,” Trump said, later adding, “Maybe it’s fake tears,” after seeing mourners crying during the funeral ceremonies.
In a remark that quickly drew attention, Trump said, “They are all there. One shot [and we can take them all out], but we are not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with.” He said neither side would launch attacks during the funeral period.
