"Tell Them We'll Strike the Mountain Where Nukes Are Buried!" Trump Issues 'Bombshell' After Detecting Iran's 'Suspicious Activity' (Trump NOW)

U.S. President Donald Trump has asserted that the United States should directly control the Strait of Hormuz and demand payment from Gulf nations in exchange for protecting the waterway. As the U.S. and Iran exchange attacks, effectively nullifying their ceasefire memorandum of understanding (MOU), tensions over control of the Strait of Hormuz have further intensified.

President Trump met with reporters at the White House on July 13 (local time) and stated, "We are controlling the strait and we are reimposing the blockade."

"This blockade is aimed only at Iran," President Trump said. "Those who do business with Iran will not be able to pass, but others will be able to."

He further claimed, "The blockade might have been more effective than striking Iran directly," adding, "Combining the blockade with attacks is the way to actually make it work."

President Trump also emphasized that neighboring countries should bear the costs incurred by the U.S. in protecting the Strait of Hormuz.

When a reporter asked if he believed the costs should be reimbursed, President Trump replied, "Yes. We are protecting a very wealthy region of the world, and we are spending money in the process," adding, "We will be reimbursed for protection costs by the countries we are helping."

Mentioning Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait, President Trump said, "They are very wealthy," and added, "They should not expect us to protect them for nothing."

Iran strongly protested, stating it would not allow the U.S. to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for the Iranian Central Military Headquarters, stated, "Under no circumstances will we allow the U.S. to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz." He also warned regional countries, saying, "Cooperation with the U.S. or providing logistical support to the U.S. military will be considered an act of war against Iran's sovereignty and national security."

The U.S. and Iran have recently been exchanging missile and drone attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Iran claimed to have attacked U.S. military facilities in Kuwait, while the U.S. deployed maritime unmanned vessels for the first time in its attacks on Iran.

President Trump claimed that the U.S. and Iran had previously reached an agreement, but that the Iranian side broke it.
He said, "There was an agreement yesterday or the day before, and everything was finished, but Iran broke the agreement immediately because there were things they didn't like," adding, "They have a different mindset, and we will no longer tolerate this."

The U.S. and Iran signed an MOU last month covering the suspension of nuclear weapons development and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but the agreement has become effectively meaningless as both sides have resumed military actions.

President Trump dismissed the MOU, saying, "It was a kind of test from the beginning," and, "When you are dealing with bad people, an MOU doesn't mean much."

He further criticized Iran, stating, "We have reached agreements several times, but Iran has never followed them."

Even after the agreement was signed, satellite imagery captured signs of what are presumed to be restoration activities at nuclear and missile facilities within Iran.

Satellite photos analyzed by CNN showed vehicles entering and exiting tunnels at the 'Pik-Ax Mountain' underground facility, where Iran is believed to be advancing its nuclear capabilities.

President Trump described Pik-Ax Mountain as a "target where we can accurately plant a big, powerful hit right at the front door," and threatened, "We could strike Pik-Ax Mountain very soon."

He also said, "We will wipe out Pik-Ax Mountain," and added, "Tell the Iranians to be ready."

However, President Trump did not completely rule out the possibility of a resolution through negotiations.

When a reporter asked if he had concluded that a resolution through negotiations was impossible, President Trump replied, "No. I have never reached that conclusion."

He continued, "I still think an agreement is possible," while also stating, "We will strike Iran hard tonight, and we will strike them tomorrow as well."

Thomas Juneau, a researcher at the British think tank Chatham House, analyzed that the provisions of the MOU itself were too vague, making the recurrence of conflict predictable.

Juneau said, "Because the terms of the MOU were vague, it was almost inevitable that disagreements would arise between the two sides, that opinions would clash over the interpretation of those vague terms, and that an agreement intended for a ceasefire would not actually lead to a cessation of violence."

He further projected, "Even if the current violence subsides, unless the fundamental issues are resolved, the violence will return at some point in the future."

Reported by JIN Sang-myeong | Video by Ahn Jun-hyeok | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.