Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, on the sidelines of the NATO summit, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the American military would likely deliver another heavy blow to Iran tonight.
“I just want to give a warning; we’re going to hit them very hard tonight,” Trump declared. He spoke ambiguously about the future of nuclear talks with Tehran, adding that it remains uncertain whether negotiations will yield results and that things might proceed without any agreement.
The threat follows Tuesday night’s U.S. airstrikes on southern Iran, launched in retaliation for Islamic Republic attacks on shipping vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Hours after that operation, Trump fiercely criticized Iranian officials and declared that the recent temporary accord and ceasefire between the two countries were effectively dead. Iran responded by claiming it had targeted U.S. military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Trump raised the prospect of reinstating a naval blockade on Iranian ports, a move that would seal the total collapse of the pact signed last month.
“We may re-establish the blockade… It will just be for Iran, and everyone else can have whatever they want,” he said, while acknowledging that Iran would likely respond by laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Under the previous month’s accord, the U.S. had agreed to lift a blockade it originally imposed during the recent war, when Iran closed the strategic strait.
