Hegseth jabs UK Navy minutes after Trump targets

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth took a jab at the British Royal Navy on Tuesday, accusing the U.Ok. of failing to use its army would possibly to defend and clear the Strait of Hormuz.

The assault got here minutes after President Donald Trump focused allies, including the U.Ok. and France, for their inaction in the strait as oil costs continue to soar amid the shuttered oil commerce.

“I believe the president was clear this morning in his Truth that there are nations around the world who ought to be ready to step up on this vital waterway as properly,” Hegseth said. “It’s not just the United States Navy. Last time I checked, there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy that could be prepared to do things like that as well.”

“He’s pointing out — this is an international waterway that we use less than most — in fact, dramatically less than most,” the struggle secretary continued. “So, the world ought to pay attention and be prepared to stand up.”

He then claimed that Trump has been “willing to do the heavy lifting on behalf of the free world to address this threat of Iran” and emphasised his perception that “it’s not just our problem set going forward, even though we have done the lion’s share of preparation to ensure that that strait will be open.”

Trump wrote a scathing set of posts on his Truth Social account on Tuesday morning, bashing U.S. allies for their inaction on the strait. He went after the U.Ok. first before setting his sights on France.

“All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT,” Trump wrote in the first post. “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil! President DJT.”

The second bashed France’s choice to close its airspace to American and Israeli warplanes as he chillingly said “the U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!”

“The Country of France wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory,” he wrote. “France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran,’ who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!! President DJT.”

The feedback from both Hegseth and Trump got here a day after Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said that Iranian forces had been “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground” so they might “set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever.”

The remark got here after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said that Tehran had been given U.S. President Donald Trump‘s 15-point proposal.

Baghaei added, however, that there have been no direct negotiations between Tehran and Washington so far despite Trump’s claims to the opposite.

In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump hinted at an end to the battle, revealing that the U.S. is “in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME.”

The president did not present further particulars about the new regime, including who the gamers are and how they could wrest energy from the prevailing regime — which is headed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the initial strikes by the U.S. and Israel against Iran on Feb. 28.

A army skilled told GWN that “talks of peace negotiations and the war coming to an end are simply not credible” and, at best, are “very premature.”

“Within a week or so, you probably will see ground forces being introduced into the battle, so there’s no way you can say this is heading towards an off-ramp or peace,” Malcom Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told the outlet.

Trump vows to ‘utterly obliterat[e]’ Kharg Island

In that same Truth Social post, Trump vowed to “completely obliterat[e]” Kharg Island, outlining two circumstances to stop such motion — Iran must “immediately” reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and it must attain a deal with the U.S. “shortly.”

“Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet ‘touched,'” Trump wrote.

The motion, he said, “will be in retribution for our many soldiers, and others, that Iran has butchered and killed over the old Regime’s 47 year ‘Reign of Terror.'”

Kharg Island assault might backfire on US as Trump weighs co-opting oil terminal

Davis warned that army motion against Kharg Island might backfire spectacularly on the U.S., however, ensuing in quite a few casualties.

Iran has been taking precautionary measures to defend Kharg Island, including laying traps and transferring further army personnel and air defenses to the area in current weeks amid Trump’s threats.

Trump’s Monday morning post got here shortly after an interview with The Financial Times was revealed, which featured Trump discussing the co-opting of Kharg Island’s oil terminal.

The president added that Iran had agreed to enable 20 ships carrying oil through the Strait of Hormuz to go through beginning on Monday and persevering with over the next few days “out of a sign of respect.”

“I would only say that we’re doing extremely well in that negotiation, but you never know with Iran because we negotiate with them and then we always have to blow them up,” Trump said.