US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday night that the Iranians had called him and are desperate to make a deal with the US.
Trump made the comments in a conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One as he was returning to Washington from Turkey.
“Iran called a while ago. They want to make a deal so badly," said the President, who added, “I just don't know if they are worthy. I don't know if they are going to honor the deal. That's the problem."
The conversation with the press took place after the US army launched strikes in Iran for the second time in as many nights.
Commenting on those strikes, Trump said, “We just hit them very hard. We hit them 20 to 1. Every time they hit us, we are going to hit them 20."
Asked whether he is aware of any credible threats by Iran, the President replied, “I hear threats all the time. I am number one on their list."
US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced earlier on Wednesday that its forces have begun launching strikes against Iranian targets.
The confirmation came after explosions were heard in Iran. The explosions were reported in Bandar Abbas, in Chabahar and on Kharg Island, among other places.
“At the direction of the Commander in Chief, US Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," said CENTCOM.
“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway," it added.
Trump commented on the strikes in Iran in a post on his Truth Social platform.
"This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!" he wrote.
Meanwhile, a US official told CNN that the ceasefire with Iran “has at least temporarily ceased".
The official added that the situation with Iran continues to be very dynamic and there could be more strikes beyond what was announced. The US military is in a wait-and-see mode, the official stated, adding that the targets of the latest strikes were missiles and drones, that could be used against US assets, like aircraft carriers.
Wednesday’s strikes came one night after CENTCOM struck over 80 targets in Iran hit with precision munitions “as an immediate response to Iran's latest attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz."