Donald Trump vowed to protect the Strait of Hormuz last night after three cargo ships were struck by projectiles thought to have been fired by Iran.
The US President said the world was ‘going to see great safety and it is going to be very, very quickly’.
It came amid reports Iran had been planning a drone attack on California in retaliation for the US war against the Islamic Republic.
‘Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran,’ the alert obtained by ABC News said.
The FBI issued a warning to police in the state, although no details of the timing or target of any planned attack were revealed.
President Trump spoke at the White House after a container ship and two bulk carriers were targeted in the Strait of Hormuz, causing panic on international markets.
He said of Iran: ‘They’ve lost their navy. They’ve lost their air force and they have no anti-aircraft apparatus at all. They have no radar. Their leaders are gone. And we could do a lot worse.
‘Iran has been hit harder than virtually any country in history has been hit. But we’re not finished yet.’
A Thai bulk carrier (pictured) travelling in the crucial Strait of Hormuz was attacked March 11, with 20 crew members rescued so far, the Thai navy said
Contradicting himself, Mr Trump added the war would end ‘soon’ as Iran said it was ready for ‘a long-term war of attrition that will destroy the entire American economy’. During a separate rally in Kentucky on Wednesday, he also declared the US was already the victor. ‘It’s only good if you win,’ the president said of the war. ‘And we’ve won.’
Mr Trump’s earlier remarks represented an uncharacteristic admission on his part that the US-Israeli air campaign will not be able to eradicate Iran’s threats to its neighbours.
Removing Iran’s military capabilities was adopted as the primary aim of the campaign after the White House and other US agencies dropped regime change as a goal.
Reports have emerged that Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in the strike that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his mother.
His injuries may explain why he has not been seen in public since the airstrike on the first day of the campaign. His father’s funeral has also been postponed indefinitely.
It came as the US stepped up its efforts to protect the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, eliminating 16 Iranian mine-laying ships.
Iran is understood to have stockpiled thousands of sea mines, in readiness for such an attack.
Those include the Sadaf-02 sea mine and the Maham-2, which uses magnets and sound sensors to detect ships.
Mr Trump last night called on oil companies to use the Strait after the number of tankers transiting the 24-mile-wide waterway south of Iran fell from 100 to five. He also claimed the US had destroyed 58 Iranian naval ships overall.
French president Emmanuel Macron, whose commitment to protecting the Middle East has embarrassed Britain, called on other G7 countries to do more ‘as soon as possible’.
United States President Donald Trump said Iran have lost their navy, their air force and they have no anti-aircraft apparatus at all. (Pictured: Mr Trump (R) and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt (L))
US military spokesmen sounded rattled by Iran’s latest tactic of hiding its remaining naval vessels among commercial vessels to prevent their destruction. The US Central Command accused Iran of dangerous actions ‘risking the lives of innocent people’.
It said: ‘Civilian ports used for military purposes lose protected status and become legitimate targets under international law.
‘CENTCOM urges civilians in Iran to immediately avoid all port facilities where Iranian naval forces are operating. Iranian dockworkers, administrative personnel and commercial vessel crews should avoid Iranian naval vessels and military equipment.’
The dramatic day began shortly before 2am UK time when the master of a container vessel off the coast of the United Arab Emirates reported the ship had sustained damage from an unknown projectile.
The vessel was damaged but none of the crew were injured. Minutes later, a bulk carrier was hit by an unknown projectile 50 nautical miles north-west of Dubai. Again, the ship was damaged but there were no injuries amongst the crew.
At 4.35am UK time, the Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree was sailing 11 miles north of Oman in the Strait when an unknown projectile slammed into the hull causing a large fire.
Her crew called for emergency assistance and most were evacuated. Last night, the fate of three crew members remained uncertain with fears they may have become trapped in the ship’s engine room as the fire spread.
Iran claimed responsibility for the attack and said the ship had ignored warnings not to enter the Strait.
The three incidents were recorded by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which said the ‘maritime threat environment’ in the region remained ‘critical’.
The attacks prompted the largest-ever release of oil reserves by the UK and 31 other countries.
The International Energy Agency said it would make 400million barrels available. The release represents around a third of global emergency stockpiles. The US Energy Department also said it will make 172 million barrels available from next week.
Last night, reports emerged that two Iraqi oil tankers were also attacked, with one crew member killed.
Iran launched another wave of attacks across the Gulf yesterday, with most of its ballistic missiles intercepted. Oman said Iranian drones had hit its oil plants while Iran has also threatened to target banks and other businesses.
Iranian drones also struck fuel tanks at Oman’s Salalah port, as the regime targeted oil infrastructure.
