#️⃣ 🇮🇷🇺🇸 IRAN HAS DEPLOYED NEW MINES IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ — AXIOS.

💬 🇺🇸 Trump:

I have all the time in the World, but Iran doesn’t — The clock is ticking!

A Deal will only be made when it’s appropriate and good for the United States of America, our Allies and, in fact, the rest of the World.

💬 🇮🇷 Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei:

The enemy's media operations, by targeting the minds and psyches of the people, intend to undermine national unity and security; may our negligence not allow this sinister intent to come to fruition.

💬 🇺🇸🇮🇷 Trump:

They are fighting like cats and dogs over the leadership of Iran.

💬 🇺🇸 Reporter: How long are you willing to wait on Iran?

Trump: No rush for me.

💬 🇺🇸 Trump on Iran:

They came to us, and they said "we will agree to open the strait," and all my people are happy. Everybody was happy—except me.

I said, wait a minute. If we open this strait, that means they’re going to make 500 million dollars a day.

I don’t want them to make 500 million dollars a day until they settle this thing, so I’m the one that kept it closed.

We have total control of it. And it’ll open when they make a deal or something else happens.

💬 🇺🇸 Trump on Iran:

If they don’t get their oil moving, their whole oil infrastructure is going to explode. Because they have no place to store it.

💬 🇺🇸 Trump on Iran:

We’ve never had so much ammunition. Our ships are loaded. Locked and loaded. They’re ready to go.

💬 🇺🇸 Reporter: What if oil goes to 200?

Trump: There is nothing worse than a nuclear weapon that takes out cities.

💬 🇺🇸 Reporter: Would you use a nuclear weapon against Iran?

Trump: No. What a stupid question—why would I need it?

💬 🇺🇸 Trump:

A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody.

💬 🇺🇸 Reporter: It has been 8 weeks since the start of the war in Iran—you initially said it would be 4–6 weeks.

Trump: I took a little break.

💬 🇺🇸 Reporter: What do you say to the American people who question how much longer this will take? Obviously, you know they’re having higher gas prices.

Trump: You’re such a disgrace. Did you hear what I just said? How many years was Vietnam?

💬 🇺🇸 Trump:

The Ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by THREE WEEKS.

💬 🇺🇸 Hegseth:

Iran’s military has been reduced to a gang of pirates.

💬 🇺🇸 Hegseth:

The vessels that the Iranians seized in recent days, a couple of them, they're not American or Israeli ships. They're just random ships.

They drove their little speedboats up to and shot at those ships with AK-47s.

Anyone with a speedboat, a gun, and the wrong intentions can do that.

💬 🇺🇸 Hegseth:

Our commanders have clear rules of engagement: If Iran is putting mines in the water or otherwise threatening American commercial shipping or American forces, we will shoot to destroy.

💬 🇺🇸 Hegseth:

We are not counting on Europe, but they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do and might want to start doing less talking, having fewer fancy conferences in Europe, and get in a boat.

This is much more their fight than ours.

💬 🇺🇸 Hegseth:

Europe and Asia have benefited from our protection for decades.

America and the free world need capable and loyal allies.

Time for freeriding is over.

💬 🇺🇸 Hegseth:

The one institution that should win the Nobel Peace Prize every single year is the United States military.