Trump on Iran: "They are desperate for a deal, Hormuz is American territory"

US President Donald Trump addressed the situation with Iran in a speech to his voters last night (between Friday and Saturday), claiming:

"They will not have nuclear weapons, they are so desperate for a deal, but we don't know if we want one because I view Hormuz as American territory right now."

Earlier, before boarding his plane, he said: "Look at what's happening. Iran has no money, no navy, no air force, and they can't pay their soldiers and police. They have 350% inflation. We control all the borders and especially what goes in and out of the Strait of Hormuz; the blockade is doing its job. They would like to make a deal, but as of now, they are not ready to make the deal I want."

Earlier this week, Trump said that no talks are taking place or planned with Tehran, and the Revolutionary Guards and Iranian military commanders warned that if an escalation does occur, Iran will attack American military assets, energy facilities, and other infrastructure in the Middle East. The day before yesterday, the president decided that due to the stalemate in the talks, economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation would be imposed against Iran and its proxies, in what Trump called an "economic D-Day."

On his social network Truth Social, he wrote: "Since Iran has failed to reach a deal, I am announcing the largest economic operation ever conducted against any country. This will be economic warfare and international isolation on an unprecedented scale."

Trump further stated: "Any country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government bodies to provide any kind of lifeline to Iran will itself face severe economic consequences. Oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries, shell companies — all of these must stop now. You know who you are."

"This is an economic D-Day, and we need all our allies to stand with us to isolate and defeat the Iranian threat. These madmen are on the ropes, and these historic steps will hurt them and their ability to project terror around the world. Iran will never have nuclear weapons."

Meanwhile, the British newspaper Financial Times reported that Iran is considering attacking military targets in Europe if Trump carries out his threats. According to officials, Iranian forces have examined American assets in Southeast Europe from which attacks were launched. The officials further said that Bulgaria and Cyprus are in Iran's crosshairs, as they assisted the US in carrying out attacks during the rounds of war. It was also claimed that Iran examined the possibility of attacking underwater fiber-optic cables in the Strait of Hormuz, against the backdrop of stalled negotiations and while Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei promoted extremists in the government to senior security and military positions last week.

This week, the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon is re-evaluating the US military posture in the Middle East, in what could be a turning point for the American presence in the region following the war. According to the report, the Department of Defense examined the possibility of withdrawing forces from the Persian Gulf, where there are large American military bases that have been severely damaged by months of Iranian attacks.