President Donald Trump said that American forces “are winning big” in the conflict in Iran and that the public will see its benefits in the near future.
In a speech on Thursday night that focused mainly on findings of election irregularities in the 2020 election, Trump made reference to the war with Iran, which was jump-started earlier this week after months of relative peace, and an operation to remove Venezuela’s former leader, Nicolás Maduro.
“We won in Venezuela, which is now working with us to produce millions and millions of barrels of oil,” he said, adding, “We are likewise winning big in Iran, and you will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly.”
The president did not elaborate on his comment.
Earlier on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House that Iran continues to engage in talks with the United States and again said it wanted to reach an agreement. That came as U.S. military forces have launched new strikes against Iran, including on the country’s infrastructure.
“Iran very much continues to talk to the United States of America and express that they want to make a deal with us because they are suffering devastating blows on behalf of our United States military,” she said.
The fighting restarted after Iran launched attacks in recent days against oil tankers attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that connects the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. A memorandum of understanding that was signed by the United States and Iran in June called for the strait to be reopened and for a 60-day period of negotiations toward a final deal.
But Iran has said that ships traveling the strait must follow routes that it has pre-approved, likewise saying through state-run media that vessels that attempted to use different routes were attacked.
In new strikes announced on Thursday night, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a social media statement that “dozens of Iranian military targets such as coastal surveillance and air defense sites, military logistics infrastructure, and maritime capabilities” were struck. It also marked the sixth consecutive night of U.S. operations against Iran, the command added.
CENTCOM added that it is acting to further degrade “Iranian military capabilities” and is “holding Iran accountable for recent attacks on commercial shipping.”
Iranian state media said at least five bridges had been struck in the south. Seven people were reported killed in attacks on bridges in the southern port of Bandar Khamir, where the train station was also hit. An airport was reported hit further east and away from the coast in Iranshahr, in a province bordering Pakistan.
With the conflict, U.S. gasoline prices have again increased. According to the American Automobile Association, the average price for regular gas increased roughly 4 cents in the past day to $3.98, while diesel is now just over $5 per gallon.
