President Donald Trump issued a blunt warning Tuesday that the United States will strike “any site” where Iran is even considering advancing its nuclear program, doubling down on his pledge that Tehran will never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said the U.S. would not hesitate to target suspected nuclear locations if Iran attempts to rebuild its capabilities.
“Any site where they’re even thinking about nuclear, we’ll be hitting it very, very powerfully,” Trump said.
The president also argued that previous U.S. military operations had inflicted long-term damage on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“Now, nobody knows except the Iranians the damage that we’ve done to them. We have done damage that will take them 20, 25 years to recover from. So if we left tomorrow, we had a big success. But we’re not leaving tomorrow,” Trump added.
Trump also addressed the growing threat posed by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen, warning that the U.S. would respond if the group attempts to disrupt one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Asked about reports that the Houthis could move to block the Red Sea, Trump said the U.S. is prepared to act.
“We’ll see what happens. So far, it hasn’t happened. Might happen, but we take care of things. If something like that happens, we take care of it,” Trump said.
The comments come after Reuters reported last week that Iran had instructed the Houthis to prepare to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if the United States launches attacks on Iranian power infrastructure.
According to the report, three sources familiar with the discussions said Iranian leaders had recently communicated the request to the Houthis as part of contingency planning.
A source close to the Houthi group told Reuters that missiles and drones have already been positioned near the strategic waterway and are awaiting orders to begin targeting commercial shipping.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and serves as a critical global trade route. Any sustained attacks on vessels transiting the corridor could disrupt international shipping and energy markets, even if the Houthis are unable to completely block the passage.
Trump made clear that any attempt by the Houthis to interfere with shipping would draw a U.S. response.
“I think that if there is something like that, we’ll just have to take care of business,” Trump said.
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