The United States has launched a fresh wave of strikes against Iran, marking a further escalation in renewed hostilities, even as US President Donald Trump has said a deal with Tehran remains possible.
“We’re going to hit them very hard tonight, and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow,” Trump said.
Shortly afterwards, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that strikes had begun, marking the third consecutive night of attacks.
“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said.
Trump also said the United States could still reach an agreement with Tehran despite the military escalation.
“Yeah, I think a deal is possible. Sure, I do,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“We had a deal with them two days ago and then they said, ‘Oh we can’t make that deal. We have to negotiate it further.'”
The White House confirmed to AFP that Trump formally notified Congress last week that the US had resumed military conflict against Iran, allowing the Pentagon an additional 60 days to operate in the region without congressional approval.
