The United States has warned that it will continue targeting Iran’s military assets if Tehran poses a threat to international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking during an interview with Fox News on Sunday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Washington would not hesitate to respond to attacks on commercial vessels or American military facilities.
“If the Iranian regime believes President Donald Trump will stand by while Iran attacks international shipping or our bases without consequences, they are mistaken,” Waltz said. “They have seen that clearly over the past few nights.”
He stressed that the US was prepared to take further military action if necessary, saying Washington would dismantle any Iranian infrastructure used to unlawfully disrupt one of the world’s busiest maritime routes.
Waltz noted that technical-level talks between the United States and Iran were still ongoing. He said President Trump remained open to diplomacy but warned that negotiations would not continue indefinitely.
“The president will always give diplomacy an opportunity,” Waltz said. “But his patience will not last forever.”
He also reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, adding that President Trump was prepared to consider every available option to achieve that objective.
On Saturday, the US Central Command announced that American forces had carried out strikes on several targets inside Iran following Tehran’s latest attack on a commercial vessel near the Strait of Hormuz.
In response, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it launched missile and drone attacks against eight US military installations in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Earlier this month, on June 18, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at paving the way for a lasting peace agreement. Three days later, both sides began discussions on implementing the deal and bringing their conflict to an end.
