Donald Trump has rejected claims that he is trying to push Iran back into negotiations, while urging Iranians to “rise up” against their government.
The conflict has intensified again in recent days following a weeks-long lull, with Trump ordering a new round of ballistic missile strikes on Tuesday.
Speculation over Trump’s next step grew after ABC News reported that he was seeking to pressure Tehran into resuming peace talks. Trump quickly pushed back on that account in a post on Truth Social.
“I’m not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table, as ABC Fake News reported. I couldn’t care less if they sign a worthless, to them, agreement,” he wrote.
“I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing. They are just playing out the inevitable.”
Trump then turned his message toward ordinary Iranians, calling on them to confront what he described as a repressive regime.
“When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?” he asked.
Earlier this year, thousands of Iranians were killed by their government after taking to the streets in protest against the country’s leadership.
Trump has frequently hinted at Iran’s leaders wanting to do a deal but has struck no such agreement since a 12-day ceasefire was reached in June.
Donald Trump denied reports he’s trying to force Iran back to the negotiating table as he challenged its people to ‘rise up’ against their government
Earlier this year, thousands of Iranians were killed by their government after they took to the streets against the regime
Around a dozen strikes targeted Iranian radar systems and military assets along a 300-mile stretch of the coast of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.
Iranian state media reported strikes on the country’s oil-rich Qeshm Island. Explosions were also reported in the southern port cities of Bandar Abbas and Chabahar.
Iran retaliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claiming that it had launched a ballistic missile strike on Camp Titin, a US Marine base in Jordan. There was no immediate confirmation from the Pentagon.
The latest exchange comes after Iranian strikes over the weekend on US bases in Jordan, with US Central Command stating it is ‘hitting back hard’ against the regime.
Trump also warned Iran against responding to the latest attack: ‘If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran!’
Earlier, US embassies in Qatar, Israel, and Jordan sent out a warning that tensions in the region create a complex security environment with the potential for sudden escalation.
‘Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise heightened vigilance and be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions,’ the diplomatic warning reads.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the regime’s hardline military force, attacked two commercial vessels attempting to transit the strait late Monday night.
Iranian state media has reported strikes on the country’s oil-rich Qeshm Island located on the northern side of the strait
US citizens abroad were urged to remain highly vigilant and prepare for possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and other travel disruptions
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The latest strikes come despite Trump repeatedly claiming Iran’s military had been destroyed and the war was over, raising questions about why the US is still targeting its radar and military assets months later.
With military tensions escalating after months of standoff, Brent crude climbed 4 percent to $94 a barrel on Tuesday afternoon.
The US and Iran signed a 14-point ceasefire back in June that had been mediated by Pakistan. Both sides were given 60 days to negotiate an end to the war.
Fighting restarted within weeks, and the deal ran out on August 17 with nothing to replace it.
There are no talks going on currently. Trump has said none are planned as refuses to extend the ceasefire.
The White House is demanding that Iran surrender its stockpile of enriched uranium and dismantle its nuclear program. Tehran has refused to make concessions unless the US lifts its naval blockade and allows Iran to control the strait.
‘They’re not going to make the kind of a deal that I feel is necessary,’ he said in the Oval Office back in August after the ceasefire ended.
Trump’s strikes also comes a week after his top officials said they were switching from bombs to money.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday the US would ‘economically asphyxiate this regime’ until it wants a deal.
Trump followed-up by vowing to launch a new ‘economic D-Day’ on Iran unless they agree to dismantle their nuclear program.
Six months in, neither side has budged despite repeated US and Israeli strikes.
