“They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years.,” he continued. “IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END!”
International law scholars have previously warned that strikes to civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime, though Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Sunday appeared to defend the president’s threats.
“Look, the president’s looking for maximum leverage, maximum negotiation, maximum leverage in these negotiations,” Wright told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“A lot of their infrastructure supports only their war machine. Of course, a lot of it supports civilians as well,” he added. “But no, I’m not worried about that. Negotiations are going very well.”
But negotiations between the U.S. and Iran have grown increasingly tense as a U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues. Iran recently vowed to restrict the number of ships that can pass through the strait and mocked European Union pleas to reopen it.
Trump on Sunday called Iran’s announcement “strange,” saying the U.S. blockade already has the strait closed.
“They’re helping us without knowing, and they are the ones that lose with the closed passage, $500 Million Dollars a day!” Trump said.
Hours later, he announced that the U.S. had forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship after it attempted to circumvent the U.S. blockade of the strait.
“The U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, and gave them fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom,” Trump wrote in a social media post, adding that U.S. Marines had taken custody of the vessel.
Trump has warned that the blockade will remain and bombing could resume if a deal is not reached before the ceasefire expires this week. Peace talks in Islamabad last week, led in part by Vice President JD Vance, fell apart. But as the critical waterway remains closed, oil prices have skyrocketed, sometimes pushing $100 per barrel.
Vance is expected to be among those traveling to Pakistan for continued negotiations Monday, according to the White House. Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will also attend the talks.
Jacob Wendler contributed to this report.
Source:
www.politico.com
