U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News that the United States had come close to launching what he described as its largest military strike since World War II, claiming the planned operation would have surpassed any U.S. military action undertaken in the decades following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
According to Trump, Iran decided to seek negotiations after learning of the planned operation. Recounting the events, he said Iranian officials contacted him and politely requested talks.
“They called me and very respectfully said, ‘Please, can we negotiate?’ And I said, ‘Yes, we can negotiate,'” Trump told Fox News.
Trump argued that the prospect of a large-scale U.S. military operation was a key factor behind Tehran’s willingness to engage in dialogue.
The U.S. president also claimed that Iran would soon reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints for global energy supplies. He warned that if Iran failed to reopen the waterway, the United States would respond with what he described as a “very severe military action.”
Trump did not provide evidence to support his assertions regarding Iran’s decision-making or the alleged military plans, and Iranian authorities had not immediately commented on the remarks at the time of his interview.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical route for global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, making any disruption or threat to navigation there a major concern for international energy markets and regional security.