US President Donald Trump vowed on Monday that the US would continue to strike targets in Iran.
Speaking on the Hugh Hewitt Show, Trump said, “We're going to hit them very hard tonight and we're going to hit them hard tomorrow, and there's not a damn thing they can do about it. They have nothing. They have nothing going on other than they have big mouths…they're stone-cold crazy people."
“Well, I think they're a little cuckoo…they're wired a little bit differently. We had a deal yesterday. It was, like, going to be 100 percent. And then, all of a sudden, they got a phone call, and they all ran out of the room," he continued.
“These people are - these people are crazy. We had a deal where we won everything. And they basically break the deals. You know, they make deals, and to them, deals are made to be broken. They are extremely unreliable people. And, frankly, if they ever had a nuclear weapon, they'd use it within one day," Trump said.
The President said that Pickaxe Mountain, the underground, heavily fortified nuclear tunnel complex located near the Natanz enrichment facility where Iran is believed to have an undeclared uranium enrichment plant, is a possible target.
“Pickax is a possible target for a nice big fat shot right in the front door. And I think that maybe you'll see that," he said.
“The fact is they have no Air Force, they have no Navy, they have no nothing. All they do is talk and they have fake press."
He stated that “we're watching [Pickaxe] closely. We see no activity there. They're not doing well with their nuclear situation. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up, so they don't like talking about it. But we'll probably give Pickax a shot relatively soon."
Asked about his relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu, Trump described it as “very good".
“I get along with Netanyahu; sometimes I disagree with him, and I tell him that," said the President, who rejected claims that he had distanced himself from Netanyahu.
“I didn’t throw Bibi under the bus. He’s doing a great job. Without the two of us, there wouldn’t be an Israel," Trump stated.
Earlier on Monday, Trump announced that the US would reinstate the naval blockade on Iran, which was lifted after the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding recently.
"The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving," he wrote on social media.
“All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait. The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World. The process and formation will begin immediately," he added.
Responding to Trump’s announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media, "POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service."
"Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair," he concluded.