Donald Trump has brushed off fears his latest threats to Iran could be a war crime.
The US President has given Iran until 8pm eastern time (1am BST on Wednesday) to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
He’s threatened that if they don’t, he’s planning to destroy Iran’s bridges and power plants.
‘I’m not worried about it,’ Trump said when asked what he would say to those who allege that striking energy facilities would breach the laws of war. ‘You know the war crime? The war crime is allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon.’
Asked again about the issue, he said Iran’s leaders were ‘animals’ who had killed tens of thousands of protesters.
Trump also said that if it were up to him, he would seize Iran’s oil, but that ‘unfortunately, the American people would like to see us come home” and end the war.
‘I’d keep the oil, and I would make plenty of money,’ Trump said.
The US president added that Americans who opposed the Iran war were ‘foolish.’
‘Because the war is about one thing. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,’ Trump said.
Earlier in the day, the White House confirmed there was a deal under consideration for a 45-day ceasefire with Iran, but that Trump had ‘not signed off’ on the proposal and is continuing the war.
‘This is one of many ideas, and POTUS (Trump) has not signed off on it. Operation Epic Fury continues,’ a White House official said.
Iran has reportedly rejected the US proposal and put forward an alternative, which is supported by several other countries, the country’s state-run media said.
The proposal is seen as a last-minute attempt to deter the possible attacks on Iranian civilian infrastructure that Trump has threatened.
The UK is set to host a meeting of allied military officers to discuss plans to secure the Strait of Hormuz as Trump’s deadline looms. Britain’s military planners will gather at Northwood outside London today and will focus on how to make the vital passage safe for shipping again.
Yesterday, Iran confirmed that its top intelligence official, Major General Majid Khademi, an intelligence chief at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed in airstrikes by the US and Israel, which the regime vowed to revenge.
On Sunday, Trump issued an expletive-riddled rant on Truth Social, telling Iran to ‘open the f***in Strait, you crazy b******s’ or they will be ‘living in hell.’
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