President Trump on Monday offered a vague warning to Iran, saying the U.S.’ strategic rival would “suffer greatly” if “they do anything.”
Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office after reports that two Saudi oil tankers were sabotaged, possibly by Iran.
“We’ll see what happens with Iran … If they do anything, they will suffer greatly,” Trump said.
When pressed about the oil tankers, Trump added: “We’ll see what happens. It’s going to be a bad problem for Iran if something happens. I can tell you that. They’re not going to be happy. They’re not going to be happy people.”
Trump declined to be more specific about his threat.
“You can figure it out yourself. They know what I mean by it,” Trump said.
Although Trump ran for office as a skeptic of foreign military interventions, he and his deputies threatened military force against both Iran and Venezuela this month.
Last week, White House national security adviser John Bolton threatened Iran with “unrelenting force” and the Pentagon deployed an aircraft carrier in response to a reported Iranian plot. Trump also said last week, however, that he would like Iran’s leaders to call him.
“I actually temper John, which is pretty amazing, isn’t it? Nobody thought that,” Trump joked on Thursday. “I have different sides. I have John Bolton and I have other people who are a little more dovish than him, and ultimately I make the decision.”
