Trump says US ready to strike Iran again 'any time we want'

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Washington is prepared to launch another attack on Iran "any time we want," after claiming US forces carried out a heavy strike against Iranian military equipment.

Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump said the US has "controlled, and we are controlling the Hormuz Strait" and is bringing oil tankers through the strategic waterway without major difficulties.

"We are, for the most part, doing it without trouble. Every once in a while, they shoot a drone and knock it down, but we have very strong control," he said.

Trump claimed Iran had been attempting to rebuild radar and missile systems and develop equipment capable of laying mines in the strait.

"We got rid of all the mines," he said, adding that Tehran was "trying to build a rocket that drops mines."

Trump said US forces detected Iran's efforts and destroyed newly built equipment along the waterway.

"We hit them hard last night, very hard. They gave a little love tap, but we hit them very hard last night," he said.

"We took out all of the new equipment that they tried to build along the Strait of Hormuz," Trump added, saying the systems included both defensive and offensive capabilities.

He said the US was prepared to strike again and reiterated that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.

"Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon," Trump said. "As soon as it's over, which I don't think will be very much longer, I don't know how much more they can take."

Asked about renaming the Strait of Hormuz the "Trump Strait," Trump replied: "I was just throwing that out."

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced late Tuesday that it had launched strikes against IRGC targets in Iran.

Following the announcement, Iranian media reported explosions on Qeshm Island, as well as in Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Chabahar and Konarak.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that it had attacked several US military facilities in neighboring countries, including Kuwait, the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq.

On June 18, 2026, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending hostilities and reopening the Strait of Hormuz to navigation. The agreement later stalled amid differences over its implementation and the security of the waterway. However, clashes resumed in July.