Tehran (Web Desk): US President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will sharply increase its military campaign against Iran in the days ahead, warning that Tehran will face even heavier attacks unless it agrees to resume negotiations.
His comments came during an interview with Fox News on Tuesday night as American operations against Iran entered their fourth consecutive day.
According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces carried out a seven-hour military operation the same evening, striking Iranian missile launch positions, drone infrastructure, naval assets, and coastal defence installations.
Trump said the offensive would continue without pause until he believes Iran has been forced to change course, insisting the pressure campaign would not end until he decides it has achieved its objective.
The US president also signalled that the next phase of the operation could target Iran's critical infrastructure. He warned that power stations and major bridges would be among the next objectives if Tehran refused to return to the negotiating table.
Trump declared that the coming week would be particularly difficult for Iran, saying the United States was prepared to disable the country's electricity network and key transport links unless diplomatic talks resumed.
Meanwhile, Axios reported that Trump convened his senior national security team in the White House Situation Room on Tuesday to review fresh military options and discuss plans for additional strikes against Iran.
Hours later, shortly after 6 a.m. on Wednesday, CENTCOM confirmed that another round of US attacks had begun. The military said the latest operation was once again aimed at reducing Iran's capability to threaten commercial shipping in regional waters.
The renewed conflict comes less than a month after Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding intended to halt hostilities and open the door for diplomatic engagement. However, the agreement rapidly collapsed after Iran resumed attacks on commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Last week, Trump declared the ceasefire effectively finished, stating that US military action would continue for as long as Iran posed a threat to shipping through the strategically important waterway, which handles nearly one-fifth of the world's oil supply.
On Tuesday, Trump also restored a naval blockade around Iranian ports, reversing a measure that had previously been lifted under the ceasefire arrangement.
The president briefly proposed imposing a 20 percent charge on cargo carried by foreign ships in exchange for US protection while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a suggestion that would have challenged long-established principles of international maritime law.
Within a day, however, Trump abandoned the proposal, saying it would instead be replaced by trade and investment agreements under which Gulf countries would make what he described as "massive" investments in the United States.