Washington, DC – US President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran “very hard,” as US media reported he was considering launching massive attacks over the weekend, particularly targeting energy infrastructure. “We will hit them very hard, and as you know, at some point they will say, ‘We can’t take it anymore,’” Trump said during a cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland. He added, warning of Iran’s approach: “They always want to talk, but they break their promises a lot,” asserting that all the Iranian side does is provoke him.
Later, The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed US officials, reported that Trump had ordered a new attack aimed at forcing Tehran to capitulate, which could begin as early as this weekend. The officials added that the president had complained to close associates that the memorandum of understanding the US signed with Iran was ultimately futile, and that he knew beforehand it would not succeed.
Potential US-Israeli coordination and anticipated targeting of infrastructure
CBS News reported that the United States and Israel are planning to launch joint strikes on Iranian energy facilities, possibly over the weekend, targeting oil refineries and power plants. Trump has been threatening to strike Iran’s vital infrastructure throughout the war, vowing last week to destroy a bridge or power plant every time ships are attacked in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. However, CBS quoted multiple unnamed sources as saying that the president had not yet given the final green light to the bombing campaign, but that Washington and Tel Aviv had fully coordinated on it.
Divergent positions and lack of trust between the two sides
Reports indicate mutual frustration, with Iranian diplomats expressing exhaustion over the repeated collapses of negotiations with the United States. American officials, for their part, assert that the Iranians perceive a complete lack of trust between the two countries, arguing that relations and the prospects for a diplomatic solution deteriorate with each threat of overwhelming military force against Tehran.
