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President Donald Trump issued one of his strongest warnings yet to Iran, declaring that Tehran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz or risk a devastating American military response. While emphasizing that diplomatic talks are underway, Trump made clear that the military option remains on the table if negotiations fail.

Speaking during an interview with Fox News that aired Tuesday night, Trump said the United States is engaged in discussions with Iran but insisted he is fully prepared to use force if Iran refuses to allow shipping through the strategically vital waterway.

“Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. They already can’t, but it’s going to be formal. The Strait’s going to be open very soon, or they’re going to get hit very hard, and then the Strait’s going to be open,” said the President.

.@POTUS on Iran: "The Strait is going to be open very soon — or they're gonna hit very hard, and then the Strait is going to be open." pic.twitter.com/Phexz39YE8

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 5, 2026

Trump said the situation had previously come dangerously close to erupting into an unprecedented military confrontation before Iran reached out in hopes of avoiding war.

“We were going to a tremendous attack, the biggest since World War II. And they called me and said, very politely, ‘Please, can we talk? Can we talk?’ They didn’t want [an attack]. And I said, ‘Yes, we can talk. Let’s get it done. Finally, let’s get it done.’”

He argued that the crisis should have been resolved decades ago and said previous American administrations failed to confront the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“this should have been done by other presidents for 50 years. Other presidents or other countries should have been able to do this. And I did something that I had to do, because if they had a nuclear weapon, this whole world would be a different place.”

Trump also maintained that diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran are progressing, despite repeated public denials from Iranian officials.

He said the two sides are “having very good discussions” and continued, “They don’t like to admit that, but you know it’s a little bit disconcerting. You tell people ‘we’re having wonderful discussions’ and then some guy will come out of Iran and say ‘We have not met.’ It’s a lie. They want to make a deal.”

When asked how long he is willing to wait before concluding diplomacy has failed, Trump suggested he is in no rush to make that determination.

“I have plenty of time.”

The interview followed remarks Trump made on Monday indicating that he is ready to authorize a major military campaign against Iran if necessary, though he stressed that he hopes a diplomatic agreement can still prevent such a conflict.

“I think we’re going to maybe get something, but I want to give them every last chance before decapitation,” Trump stated. “Very tough to do what we have planned, still planned. We’ll see what happens, but it’s a very, very tough thing to do.”

Trump reiterated that, despite ongoing military planning, he would rather resolve the standoff through negotiations than by launching a large-scale attack.

“I think I’m very proud of the fact that I will give people a chance,” Trump said. “This is a big move to do an attack that big on a country. I’d rather not do it.”

Earlier Tuesday, Trump sharply criticized Iran after its government publicly denied that negotiations with the United States are taking place, accusing Tehran of saying one thing privately while presenting a different story to the world.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump said Iranian officials had requested a meeting and that talks were already underway, with additional discussions expected soon.

“Iranian leadership is unbelievably duplicitous! They ask for a meeting, some would say ‘beg,’ talks begin, with more scheduled in the immediate future, and they say, openly and proudly, that they’re not having any discussions, that nothing is being talked about, and they’re only dealing with ‘Oman,'” Trump wrote.

{Matzav.com}