Trump threatens to hit Iran’s electricity production sites if Tehran blocks global oil supply

US President Donald Trump says the US has held off on targeting certain electricity production sites in Iran but will do so if the Islamic Republic doesn’t cooperate.

“We’ve left some of the most important targets for later, in case we need to do it,” Trump says during a press conference in Florida on the Iran war.

“If we hit [those targets], it’s going to take many years for them to be rebuilt. [The targets have] to do with electricity production and many other things. We’re not looking to do that if we don’t have to,” Trump says.

Getting more specific regarding when he’d be prepared to target electricity production sites, Trump says, “I will not allow a terrorist regime to hold the world hostage and attempt to stop the globe’s oil supply. If Iran does anything to do that, they’ll get hit at a much harder level. I will take out those targets… that I mentioned just before.”

“We’ll take them out so quickly [that] they’ll never be able to recover. If they want to play that game, they’d better not play that game,” Trump says.

He argues that the war will neutralize the threat Iran poses to global shipping and oil supply. “The result will be lower oil prices, oil and gas prices for American families.”

“During this brief disruption, the United States is offering political risk insurance to any tankers operating in the Gulf,” Trump announces, adding that the US is also waiving certain oil related sanctions to reduce prices.

“When the time comes, the US Navy and its partners will escort tankers through the straight if needed,” Trump says.

“We’re ahead of our initial timeline by a lot,” he claims.

The president reiterates that he wants to be involved in selecting Iran’s next leader.

“We don’t want another president that maybe wouldn’t be willing to do what I’m willing to do — for the good of the world, for the good of our nation. [We don’t want] to be stuck with the situation in five years or 10 years from now,” Trump says.

He asserts Iran during the previous rounds of nuclear talks effectively refused to give up building a nuclear weapon by insisting on maintaining the right to enrich uranium at high levels.

After the US struck Iran’s nuclear sites last year, Tehran sought to build a new site that was protected by granite, Trump claims, adding that the regime also accelerated its missile production in the interim.

He says Iran’s conduct before Operation Epic Fury “was very quickly approaching the point of no return, and the United States found it intolerable.”