Trump says he will strike Iran "very hard tonight and tomorrow"

"We're going to hit them very hard tonight and we're going to hit them very hard tomorrow," Trump said in an interview with radio host and political commentator Hugh Hewitt, according to CNN International.

The US president also suggested that the United States is closely monitoring Iranian targets, but declined to provide further details.

Asked whether the US or Israeli military forces knew where the other Iranian military leaders were and whether they could attack them, Trump responded:

"Yes, I know, but we don't want to talk about it. But we are certainly monitoring it."

#BREAKING Watch -President Trump says Iran will be hit hard tonight (Monday) and Tuesday. The president made the comment in an interview with conservative political commentator ?Hugh ?Hewitt.pic.twitter.com/shnAxMbV04

For Trump, the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, signed about a month ago, served as a "test" that he would have preferred to avoid.

"This is a standard tactic in the United States: first you reach a memorandum of understanding and then you move on to an agreement. I said, 'Let's go straight to the agreement,'" he said.

"But you know what? It was a kind of test, and they didn't respond. They didn't honor the test," he added.

The memorandum of understanding signed between the United States and Iran provided for a reduction in tensions in the Middle East. At the time, Trump even stated that the document represented "an agreement with Iran that achieves everything we set out to do... end the current conflict, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon."

Now, however, he assesses that "memorandums of understanding don't mean much when you're dealing with scoundrels, and they also don't mean much when you're dealing with honorable people, because it's just a memorandum of understanding — it doesn't mean much."

CENTCOM announces "third consecutive night strike against Iran"

Following Trump's statements, the United States Armed Forces Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it "initiated the third consecutive nighttime attack against Iran."

"At 4:45 pm (Eastern Time) today, United States Central Command began the third consecutive nighttime attack against Iran, under orders from the commander in chief," the agency said in a post on the social network X.

"These attacks will continue to impose a high cost on Iranian forces and reduce their ability to attack innocent civilians and merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz," he added.

At 4:45 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, at the Commander in Chief's direction. These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and…

Trump's announcement was made on the same day that he revealed his intention to reinstate the blockade on Iranian ports and charge a 20% duty on goods crossing the Strait of Hormuz, citing costs related to the security of the maritime route.

"The United States will now be known as the 'Guardian of the Strait of Hormuz' but, in the name of justice, will receive a fee equal to 20% of the value of the cargo," Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

According to the North American president, the charge will serve to "cover all costs necessary to fulfill the mission of guaranteeing the security of this particularly unstable region of the world."

Trump added that the measure will take effect "immediately", but did not disclose further details about how it will be implemented or the charging mechanisms.

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