President Donald Trump is continuing to use every lever of power he has at his disposal to bring the Iranian regime to a permanent peace deal.
That includes economic measures.
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Iran has continued to fire missiles at commercial tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, and now, Trump has vowed that Tehran will pay for repairing the damage done by those attacks.
“Please let this statement serve to represent, until further notice, that from this point forth, any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“These damages may be very substantial but, nevertheless, this is the fair and equitable thing to do,” Trump posted Thursday evening.
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Earlier in the week, Trump said that Iran would pay a different sort of penalty.
“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran,” Trump also noted on his Truth Social platform.
🦅 Today’s @nypost cover: @POTUS weighing massive attack against Iran. pic.twitter.com/YDhvl5T623
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) July 24, 2026
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Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command, acting on the commander-in-chief’s orders, continued hammering Iranian targets all week.
“CENTCOM targeted Iranian military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities to further diminish the threat Iran poses to civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM announced on X this week.
“The international waterway remains open for transit despite recent attacks from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the post continued.
“Commercial vessels continue to freely navigate the strait with U.S. military support,” the post said.
Trump told Axios Thursday that even with the likely consequences, he is considering a major strike.
“I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it,” he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he will soon make a decision on whether to launch a “massive attack” on Iran after the conflict in the Middle East extended to a new battleground in the Red Sea.
Speaking to Axios on Thursday, the president said the proposed strikes would be… pic.twitter.com/jvlQbMyO9R
— CNBC (@CNBC) July 24, 2026
Trump told the outlet that the operations would also include strikes that would be bigger than the ones carried out during Operation Epic Fury.
Trump, in a brief interview, said he understands that such a decision would have ramifications and emphasized that he has not yet reached a decision.
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Trump did not give a deadline for his decision. No call has been made, and no new orders have been given to the military, two other U.S. officials confirmed.
The latest flare-up has pushed oil prices over $100 a barrel. There’s not much appetite in the U.S. for all-out war again.
Trump said Israel “would join in two minutes if I ask them to,” but added that “we don’t need anybody” to launch a new operation against Iran.
He also said there would be “consequences” for Israel joining the strikes, hinting at Iranian retaliation against Israel.
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Trump said the Iranians “want to negotiate” but are not ready to make a deal at the moment.
“They haven’t received enough pain yet,” he said.
Iranian leadership has not accepted the latest proposal put forward, two regional sources familiar with mediation efforts said.
“We are trying, but the Iranians are not being helpful,” one of them said.
In recent days, the U.S. has intensified its attacks to stop Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
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Iran, for its part, has so far shown no inclination to change course and has also stepped up attacks in the region.
Tensions in another critical oil shipping route have further roiled the global energy market as Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have begun targeting Saudi ships in the Red Sea.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social account that if the Houthis fire again at ships in the Red Sea, “the U.S. will hold Iran responsible.”
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
