US President Donald Trump counted “the military decimation of Iran” among his administration’s accomplishments in a social media post on Thursday, adding, “to be continued!” The phrase, included in a lengthy Truth Social post, suggested he may resume the war against Iran after he returns from his trip to China on Friday. A ceasefire took effect in the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic in early April, though American-Iranian talks have yet to lead to an agreement. “I am not going to be much more patient,” Trump said in an interview aired on Thursday night on Fox News’ “Hannity” program. “They should make a deal.”
US Central Command head Admiral Brad Cooper said in testimony to a US Senate committee on Thursday that the war had significantly degraded Iran’s military capability but that it retained the ability to strike. Tensions also remain high over the Strait of Hormuz, the key pathway for the global oil supply that Iran has blocked since the war began in late February. On Thursday, a ship anchored off the east coast of the United Arab Emirates was seized and was heading toward Iranian waters, the British military said, while India said a cargo ship was sunk amid the battle over the strait.
Trump said earlier that Chinese President Xi Jinping had offered China’s help to open the strait, and pledged not to send military equipment to aid Iran in the war. “He said he’s not going to give military equipment… he said that strongly,” Trump told the “Hannity” show, after the two leaders met in Beijing. “He’d like to see the Hormuz Strait open, and said, ‘If I can be of any help whatsoever, I would like to help.'” After talks between Trump and Xi on Thursday, the White House said the leaders had agreed that the strait should be open and that Xi made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use.
He also expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s future dependence on the strait, and the leaders agreed that Iran should never obtain nuclear weapons, the readout said. Tehran denies seeking such weapons, but it has enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities. (Read More)
