Trump says US ‘Most Likely’ to Strike Iran Again as Tensions Escalate

Reuters

US President Donald Trump.

US President Donald Trump said the United States would “most likely” strike Iran again on Wednesday night.

The United States launched a major strike against Iran in the early hours of Wednesday, following attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking after what he described as a “great” meeting with NATO leaders, Trump said Iran remained a top priority for his administration, adding: “We may strike Iran again tonight.”

He said the dispute with Tehran “is not about regime change, but about preventing them from acquiring a nuclear weapon”, adding that the agreement between Washington and Tehran required Iran to halt its nuclear programme, “or else we will stop it.”

Trump accused Iran of breaching the agreement, describing Iranian officials as “deceitful”, and claimed the United States had “destroyed the Iranian air force” during recent military operations.

He also announced that US envoy Steve Witkoff, alongside Jared Kushner, would continue efforts on the Iran file, saying: “We’ll see what happens with Iran,” signalling that diplomacy would continue alongside military pressure.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump announced the termination of the memorandum of understanding with Iran, describing Iranian officials as “sick” and saying he no longer wished to spend time negotiating with Tehran after accusing it of violating agreements and targeting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

He further escalated his rhetoric by describing the overnight US strikes on Iran as “powerful”, while insisting that Washington “has not hit Iran hard yet”, suggesting further military action remained possible.

Trump said the United States could target Iranian energy infrastructure and desalination facilities if necessary, adding that seizing Kharg Island, Iran’s major oil export hub, remained an option should the situation require it.

In controversial remarks, Trump claimed it would have been possible to “kill all of Iran’s leaders during the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei”, adding that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth “loved the idea” of such an operation. Referring to discussions within his administration, he reiterated that all options remained on the table and that the United States would take whatever steps it considered necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons or threatening American interests and those of its allies in the region.

Trump also addressed the war in Ukraine, suggesting that Ukrainian strikes inside Russian territory “might help end the war”, and announced that he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin later that day.

He confirmed that the United States would allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missiles, a move aimed at strengthening the country’s defence capabilities. He said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had informed him that air defence systems remained Ukraine’s highest priority.

Trump also said he believed the Russian president “wants to end the war”, adding that Washington would work to provide security guarantees to prevent Russia from attacking Ukraine again. He further claimed that Moscow “would be happy with any agreement that is reached”.

Trump’s remarks come as both the Iranian and Ukrainian conflicts continue to evolve rapidly, amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran and renewed US efforts to secure a settlement to the war between Russia and Ukraine.


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