US President Donald Trump announced that the US will be striking Iran tonight in a post on Truth Social on Thursday afternoon.
"At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets," he added.
Trump said that his preference "has always been" to take Kharg Island, but that he wasn't sure if "America has the stomach for it," in a call with Fox News shortly after the Truth Social post on Thursday.
Trump also addressed difficulties with negotiations with Iran, specifying that at one point, Iran would not agree not to buy as well as not to develop nuclear weapons until they were convinced a day later.
Trump says Kurds were sent weapons, let the US down
Trump said that the Kurds had let the US down after weaponry was delivered to be distributed to the Iranian people during the protests that predated the war, while speaking to Fox.
When asked for his message to the Iranian people, Trump said that they were scared due to the disparity between the IRGC and unarmed protesters.
"We sent weapons and the Kurds let us down," Trump said, adding that he had initially been against the plan to send the weapons to the Kurds, believing they would keep them instead of distributing them.
Notably, The Jerusalem Post reported that early on in the war, Israel had hoped to utilize the Iraqi and Iranian Kurds, who had received weapons from both the CIA and the Mossad, but that Trump had vetoed the operation.
Iran's enemies must accept ceasefire or face 'decisive' response, Defense Ministry spokesperson says
Iranian Defense Ministry spokesperson Reza Taleinik said that Iran's armed forces were at the highest level of readiness, and that Iran's enemies must accept a ceasefire, on Thursday.
“Any crossing of the Islamic Republic’s red lines by the enemy will face a decisive, regret-inducing and harsh punitive response,” Taleinik said.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.