'Will take over strait, blow them up': Trump loses cool after Iran renews threat to shut Hormuz
US President Donald Trump (File photo/ANI) Also Read (With ANI inputs) As the United States and Iran opened talks in Switzerland aimed at ending their
US President Donald Trump (File photo/ANI) Also Read (With ANI inputs) As the United States and Iran opened talks in Switzerland aimed at ending their war, US President Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that he had spoken overnight with Iranian officials and recounted an expletive-filled warning he allegedly delivered to them: if the Strait of Hormuz was shut again, they "wouldn't make it back to their f*****g country. ""You close it, and you won't have a country. You won't even make it back to your f***ing country," Trump told Fox News.The US president also floated the possibility of Washington taking direct operational control of the Strait of Hormuz to safeguard maritime traffic and potentially impose transit charges on oil shipments passing through the strategic waterway."We may take over the Strait if we have to.
I'll blow the sh*t out of them," he added.Signalling possible economic measures if negotiations fail, Trump further warned: "If they don't make a deal, we'll collect tolls."The Republican had arlier suggested that the United States could impose its own transit fees on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz if a comprehensive agreement with Iran is not reached within 60 days.Iran has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz since early March in response to the February 28 US-Israeli strikes that sparked the current conflict. Roughly a fifth of the world's crude oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, making any disruption there a major concern for global energy marketsTrump's remarks came in response to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's assertion earlier in the day that Tehran would not give up its right to enrich uranium — a key US demand — and that Washington would eventually have to accept that position.Taking aim at Pezeshkian, Trump told Fox News: "He better watch his mouth.
He better shape up, or we will take over the rest of the country."The exchange unfolded as senior American and Iranian officials met in Switzerland on Sunday for their first face-to-face talks in more than 10 weeks. Iran's nuclear programme and efforts to prevent a wider
regional conflict involving Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon are at the heart of the negotiations.US Vice President JD Vance, who is leading the American delegation, said Washington was prepared to "fundamentally transform" its relationship with Tehran if Iran agreed to stop being "a driver of regional instability".
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