President Donald Trump said in a Fox News interview that he spoke with Iranian officials and warned them that closing the Strait of Hormuz would mean the end of the Iranian state. Trump added he told them they would not even be able to return to 'your damn country,' according to a report from Abu Ali Express.
President Donald Trump escalated his war of words with Iran yet again on Sunday, telling Fox News he had spoken directly with Iranian officials and delivered a stark ultimatum regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Trump stated: 'If you close the Strait of Hormuz — you will not have a country.' He added that he told the Iranians they would not even make it back to 'your damn country.' The remarks, reported by the Israeli news outlet Abu Ali Express, add a new public layer to a swift barrage of Sunday threats against Tehran — all citing the same 16:12 Jerusalem thread timestamp, indicating a concentrated administration messaging blitz.
The thread, first reported at 16:12 Jerusalem on Sunday, opened with an initial Fox News interview in which Trump said the U.S. 'may need to seize control' of Hormuz (version 1). Within the same minute — 16:12 — a version 2 item cited Israel Hayom reporting that Trump warned 'you will not have a country,' followed by version 3 citing Israeli media quoting Trump saying he 'spoke with Iran tonight' to deliver the warning. Version 4 attributed the same threat to the source C14. By 16:12, two separate N12 reporters (Assaf Yezekeli and Amit Segal) independently corroborated a dual threat: a harsher 'we'll blow your shape' warning over Hormuz and a demand that Iran stop Hezbollah (version 6). The current Fox News warning — attributed solely to Abu Ali Express — appears at the same 16:12 Jerusalem timestamp but adds a specific quote about failing to return to 'your damn country,' which was not present in the earlier N12 or C14 reports.
As The Zioneer reported earlier on Sunday (16:21 Jerusalem), Trump threatened to 'take over the rest of Iran' if President Pezeshkian did not 'shut his mouth.' The U.S. position has been framed by previous statements: Trump said on Monday (Jun 15) that tankers are sailing out of Hormuz, contradicting Iranian reports; on Tuesday (Jun 16) he stated the strait would be 'fully open by Friday'; and on Wednesday (Jun 17) he called critics who wanted continued bombing 'stupid,' warning of 'economic disaster' without a nuclear memorandum of understanding.
This latest report remains sourced to a single outlet (Abu Ali Express) which attributes the quotes to Fox News. No transcript, independent Fox News footage, or additional Israeli newsroom confirmation has been provided in the batch as of this update. The precise timing of the interview relative to Trump's other Sunday comments is also unclear.
7 developments
- DevelopingTrump says he warned Iran against closing Strait of Hormuz for blackmail
- DevelopingTrump threatens 'very hard' strikes on Iran if Hezbollah continues to cause trouble
- ConfirmedIran threatens missile retaliation amid Hormuz closure as U.S. talks continue
- StrongIran Demands Hormuz Revenue, Says Trump Post Contradicts Interim Deal
Source and signal
- Internal intake