US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would "probably hit Iran tonight" during a press conference following the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.
"I'll give a little warning: We're going to hit them hard tonight," Trump told reporters at the NATO summit in Turkey before his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump later said that the Iranian regime has been "killing soldiers, killing people for 47 years," and that because of that, the US has "a score to settle."
"We may just do it without a deal," he also added, and said that he is "not sure the deal will stick."
Additionally, Trump hinted at the possibility of reinstating the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. "Everyone will be able to cross outside of them [Iran]. And they might try to throw some mines, which will be hard because we destroyed their boats," he said.
Trump also pointed out that the US military "knocked out 28 boats last night, and will probably knock out more boats tonight."
"Lots of people say that they are really dishonorable people, that they can't keep the deal, but we will have to see," Trump added.
Trump: 'Maybe tonight's attack will knock out lots of stuff'
"Maybe, tonight's attack will knock out a lot of stuff," Trump claimed, then told US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to brief reporters on the targets.
"There were a lot of small aircraft that they were trying to harass shipping with, a hundred ground facilities where they were storing drones and missiles, coastal defense sites, radar sites, surveillance sites, and anything they thought they could use to harass shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," Hegseth explained.
Trump concluded the press conference saying that, if the US "has to do it, will take out electricity and water plants," but that he doesn't want to do it. "We might also take over Kharg Island," he added.
The US Central Command shared a video later on Wednesday stating that 20 ships were currently patrolling waters across the Middle East.
"Last month, US naval warships and aircraft transited the Arabian Sea in close formation, demonstrating unmatched American military strength and firepower," said the statement.
Trump says US doing what should have been done 47 years ago
On the sidelines of the NATO summit, Trump also claimed that the US is doing things that should have been done 47 years ago in relation to Iran.
He touted that due to US efforts, Iran’s military, air force, navy, and radar capabilities have been destroyed and asserted its remaining combat capabilities are pretty low.
Trump also alleged that the US has led a global effort to increase defense spending and procurement in a way no other country has previously.
During a press briefing on the matter, Trump defended the US’s Operation Epic Fury against Iran, stating it was a “tremendous military success” and prevented Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
He also stated that he had changed his mind on Iran’s leadership after interacting with them and is “not sure” he still wants to make a deal with them.
When asked what will happen next with Iran, Trump said the world will never see Iran have a nuclear weapon.
“I have to make sure of one thing, that we don’t have lunatics having control over nuclear weapons,” he told reporters.
Regarding Iran’s remaining enriched uranium, Trump said that the US will eventually take it. He added that the US is monitoring locations where Iran is suspected to be storing the nuclear materials and that anyone who gets close to it will be destroyed.
Netanyahu, Katz cancel participation in IDF ceremony, allegedly related to Iran escalation
Sources indicated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz canceled their participation in an IDF national security college graduation ceremony at the last second, despite an IDF spokesperson's 4:54 p.m. message saying they would still attend, and despite other sources saying they might still attend.
The cancellations were allegedly related to the latest flare-up with Iran.
At press time, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir was still due to attend, which seemed to be in dissonance with the decisions of Netanyahu and Katz.
Trump says MoU 'is over'
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump said that he thought the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran "is over," while also stating that he felt the US had "wasted a lot of time" negotiating with Iran, and he did not wish to continue talks.
"I don't want to deal with them [Iran] anymore. They're scum. They're sick people," he added.
On Tuesday night, US forces began "a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway," according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).
In response, Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) confirmed it targeted US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to the US strikes in southern Iran that targeted air defense systems, coastal surveillance, and missile and drone launch sites.
Reuters, Jonah Davidov, and Shir Perets contributed to this report.