▲ Airstrike footage posted by President Trump on social media
As the U.S. military launched airstrikes against Iran for the second consecutive day on July 8 (local time) in response to attacks on merchant vessels, U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed his stance on a hardline response should Iran target more commercial ships.
On the same day, President Trump posted a series of images and videos on his social media platform, Truth Social, which appeared to show attacks on Iran, stating, "This is in retaliation for Iran's attack on ships (passing through the Strait of Hormuz) yesterday."
He further warned, "If this (Iran's attack on merchant ships) happens again, (the attack Iran will face) will be much more severe."
The footage posted by President Trump included scenes of massive flames erupting from what appeared to be a coastal area.
There was no explanation regarding the source of the video or who filmed it.
The U.S. Central Command announced on the same day that it had initiated additional airstrikes targeting Iran.
The day before, the U.S. military struck over 80 targets, including Iranian coastal radar stations, anti-ship missile assets, and small boats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The U.S. position is that Iran's attacks on three merchant vessels—a Qatari-flagged liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier and oil tankers flagged to Saudi Arabia and Liberia—in the Strait of Hormuz area on July 6–7 constitute a violation of the ceasefire.
(Photo: Screenshot from President Trump's Truth Social, Yonhap News)
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