President Donald Trump said early Thursday that Iran had reached out in hopes of renewing negotiations following a second straight night of U.S. military strikes. It represents a shift in tone just one day after he declared the cease-fire between the two countries “over.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the Iranian regime reached out to the administration after the latest round of U.S. attacks, which targeted dozens of sites across Iran overnight.
“They called a little while ago,” said Trump. “They want to make a deal so badly.”
Nevertheless, the president suggested he remained skeptical of any renewed diplomatic effort, saying he did not know whether Iran was “worthy of making a deal” or whether the Iranian government would “honor” any future agreement.
Trump also defended his administration’s latest strikes, arguing the U.S. military response was far more effective than anything Iran had done in response.
“We just hit them very hard,” he added. “Every time they hit us, we’re going to hit them 20. And we did it last night… They hit actually three boats, not two. And when they hit, we hit back much harder. They have very little left.”
The comments came less than a day after Trump declared the cease-fire effectively over following renewed attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Pentagon, Wednesday night’s military strikes were meant to protect the ability to travel through the Strait after additional threats to maritime traffic. Iran subsequently launched attacks targeting Kuwait and Bahrain, further widening the conflict.
The latest U.S. military operation reportedly struck dozens of targets across Iran. Iranian state media said at least three people were killed in the overnight bombardment, while explosions and power outages were reported in several areas along Iran’s southern coast.
