President Donald Trump delivered a blunt warning to Iran on Monday: attack U.S. vessels, and the response will be overwhelming.
In an interview with Trey Yingst on Fox News, Trump said Iran would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if it targets U.S. ships operating under “Project Freedom.”
The warning comes as tensions remain high in the Strait of Hormuz, where U.S. forces have increased their presence to protect commercial shipping lanes.
Trump paired the threat with a note of cautious optimism on diplomacy.
He said Iran has become “much more malleable” in ongoing peace negotiations, suggesting that pressure from U.S. military operations may be shifting Tehran’s posture.
Still, the president made clear the U.S. is not easing up.
“We have more weapons and ammunition at a much higher grade than we had before,” Trump said. “We have the best equipment.”
He pointed to America’s global military footprint, emphasizing that U.S. bases around the world are fully stocked and ready.
“We have stuff all over the world. We have these bases all over the world. They’re all stocked up with equipment,” he added. “We can use all of that stuff, and we will, if we need it.”
President Trump tells Fox News the Iranians will be “be blown off the face of the earth” if they attack U.S. vessels that are guiding ships through the Strait of Hormuz as part of “Project Freedom.”
More on my 20-minute conversation with the President at 1pm on @FoxNews.
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) May 4, 2026
Project Freedom is A U.S.-led military and security operation ordered by President Trump to secure the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding sea lanes during the Iran conflict.
“Countries from all over the World, almost all of which are not involved in the Middle Eastern dispute going on so visibly, and violently, for all to see, have asked the United States if we could help free up their Ships, which are locked up in the Strait of Hormuz, on something which they have absolutely nothing to do with — They are merely neutral and innocent bystanders!” the president declared in a Sunday TRUTH Social post.
“This process, Project Freedom, will begin Monday morning, Middle East time,” he noted.
