President Trump on Wednesday told reporters to expect more US attacks on Iranian tankers, comments that came after Iran’s forces struck US bases in Jordan and targeted multiple commercial ships in the region in retaliation for US Central Command bombing five Iranian tankers.
Trump made the remarks while speaking with reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before boarding Air Force One to travel to the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas. One reporter mentioned that there have been “a lot of attacks in the Strait of Hormuz,” and Trump made it known that the US was responsible for those attacks.
“The attacks are made by us. We’ve knocked out nine of their ships. I would say that the attacks are caused by us, and you’re going to see a lot more,” the president said, adding that many of the Iranian tankers are “donezo.”
Trump went on to claim that the war was going to end “immediately after the election,” suggesting that Iran was prolonging the conflict to hurt the Republicans in the midterms. “They’re desperate to try to affect the election to get a nice, weak group of people in there,” he said. Trump also said that the US wasn’t currently interested in negotiations with Iran.
Also on Wednesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that it targeted two US vessels, eight oil tankers, and 10 other ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz as part of its retaliation for the US bombing five Iranian tankers. For its part, the US military denied Iranian claims that the IRGC struck two US Navy destroyers.
Reuters reported that multiple commercial ships were struck in the region, and at least one seafarer was killed on an oil products tanker off the coast of Dubai. Iran had warned that it would target ships near Kuwait and the UAE and urged crew members to evacuate. The US issued a similar warning before it started bombing the Iranian tankers on Tuesday.
The Iranian strikes on US bases in Jordan appeared to be heavier than recent rounds of Iranian attacks. US officials told The New York Times that the attack caused “minimal damage” and said that no US troops were killed but acknowledged that some soldiers may come forward with traumatic brain injuries. The Pentagon has consistently downplayed casualties in the war and typically only quietly admits to injuries when updating its casualty database or when it’s pressured to do so due to media reports.
