Mr. Trump announced that he was about to resume the airstrike campaign against Iran

“We will attack them, attack them very hard,” US President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on June 10. “We bombed them yesterday, and will hit them hard today. I’m announcing that, in case you don’t have your TV on.”

When reporters asked if that meant the US would resume its airstrikes against Iran, Mr. Trump confirmed it did. “That’s right. Considering the helicopter was shot down, I think we have the right to do that,” the US President replied.

Mr. Trump seemed to be referring to the US Apache armed helicopter crashing near the Strait of Hormuz. The US military accused an Iranian drone of “shooting down” this helicopter.

It is unclear when President Trump will order the US military to continue its airstrike campaign against Iran.

The statement was made by Mr. Trump in the context of the US and Iran implementing the ceasefire agreed in April to create conditions for peace negotiations. Mr. Trump said “we were really close to a deal, but they kept stalling for time. They kept making us look stupid.”

Mr. Trump also revealed that the US has been taking oil out of Iran, but did not provide further details about these activities.

“Today is the first time I’ve announced this. We’ve been putting out millions of barrels of oil every night,” Mr. Trump said, adding that Iran “just discovered it.” “This is why oil prices are only at 85-90 USD a barrel instead of 250 USD.” President Trump said.

Although he announced he was about to resume air strikes on Iran, Mr. Trump said the US was still looking for a “meaningful and truly effective” agreement with Iran. He added that Iran has agreed not to possess nuclear weapons, but the parties still need to sign the document. Iranian officials have not commented on this information.

In a previous social media post, Mr. Trump said that Iran had a chance to reach a peace agreement, but Tehran extended the time and delayed the negotiation process.

The US President replied Fox News that he is leaning towards the possibility of ordering air strikes against Iran’s power plant and road systems, if Tehran does not agree to sign the agreement.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that essential infrastructure is the lifeline of the people. Any threats against these systems “are not an expression of strength, but only show desperation in the face of a nation’s will”.

“Iran, based on the knowledge and capacity of its team of experts, along with the solidarity and consensus of the nation, will steadfastly stand firm against all pressure or threats,” Mr. Pezeshkian wrote on X on June 10.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have recently escalated most seriously since the two sides reached a ceasefire in early April, after a US military Apache AH-64 helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on June 8. President Trump accused Iran of shooting down the Apache and directed the US military to respond.

On June 9, the US military launched airstrikes on a series of coastal targets in Iran, while Tehran announced an attack on Washington’s bases in Gulf countries such as Bahrain and Jordan in retaliation. US officials said most of these threats have been intercepted.