U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized Iran for declaring it would blockade the Strait of Hormuz by force and signaled a strong intent to resume commercial operations. As the U.S. military launched large-scale retaliatory airstrikes in response to Iran's armed provocations, military tensions between the United States and Iran over dominance of the strait are surging to a peak.
On the 12th (local time), according to Reuters and other major outlets, Trump said in phone interviews with NBC's "Meet the Press" and CNN that "last night we hit them (Iran) very hard, without mercy," adding, "the Strait of Hormuz is open for commercial traffic." The remarks run counter to the claim by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which declared it would invalidate the previous memorandum of understanding (MOU) that guaranteed 60 days of temporary free passage and completely blockade the strait.
The "merciless bombing" Trump mentioned refers to strikes on the 11th against military infrastructure inside Iran led by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). The U.S. military destroyed a large number of Iranian ground surveillance radars, missile and drone depots and launch bases, and surface-to-air missile launchers. It was an immediate armed retaliation for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' surprise attack the previous afternoon on a Cyprus-flagged civilian container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military has conducted three large-scale airstrikes against Iran in just the past week, ratcheting up military pressure.
In the interview, Trump harshly lambasted Iran's leadership and laid full blame for the armed clash on Iran. He said, "They are truly evil and insane people," adding, "yesterday (the 11th) we held last-minute talks and had reached a perfect agreement." He continued, "they agreed in the talks to give up everything, including nuclear matters, and less than an hour after leaving the meeting room, they launched drones and warships toward a merchant vessel," he said, raising his voice. Trump added that he rebuked Iran for the betrayal, saying, "you are insane."
Experts said the U.S.-Iran dispute, which had seemed to be finding a narrow breakthrough, has returned to square one with this clash. Judging Iran untrustworthy as a dialogue partner, the United States is expected to further bolster Project Freedom, an operation to secure passage in the Strait of Hormuz with military force. Bloomberg reported that Iran also appears unwilling to easily give up control of the strait, which is directly tied to the regime's survival, raising the likelihood that armed clashes over safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz—where crude shipments are concentrated—will be on a path toward escalation for the time being.