US President Donald Trump downplayed the ongoing conflict with Iran as a "skirmish" during a rally in Marietta, Georgia, on Wednesday, even as he claimed Tehran was eager to negotiate an end to the fighting.
"This skirmish we have going on, I call it a skirmish with the Islamic Republic of Iran. They are getting hit so hard. And they want to make a deal. But I say they're not ready to make a deal. They'll be ready very soon," Trump told supporters.
The president also dismissed the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a large share of the world's oil shipments pass and which Iran has repeatedly threatened to close during the conflict.
"We don't need straits. We don't need anything. We don't need the Hormuz Strait because we do it because we have to do it," Trump said, adding that the United States "cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon."
The comments came hours after Trump threatened a further escalation against Iran, warning that the US would begin blowing up Iranian bridges and power plants if Iran does not cease its attacks on international shipping.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, "From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP."
ALSO READ: Trump Draws Red Line For Iran: 'One Bridge Or Power Plant For Every Ship Hit In Hormuz'
It came as the US and Iran remain locked in an extended military confrontation that has drawn in Gulf states and repeatedly disrupted shipping traffic through Hormuz, a chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of global oil consumption typically flows.
Iran's nuclear programme has been central to Washington's justification for its strikes, with Trump and his administration insisting Tehran cannot be allowed to develop a weapon.
The president's characterisation of the conflict as a mere "skirmish" contrasts with the scale of US military commitment to the campaign, including the record $1.15 trillion defence spending bill that cleared the House, part of which is intended to replenish stockpiles depleted by the war effort.
Meanwhile, Tehran has not issued any public confirmation of active negotiations yet.
ALSO READ: Inside Pickaxe Mountain: Iran's Underground Nuclear Bunker Trump Threatens To Bomb
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