According to Reuters, on July 8 local time, U.S. President Trump threatened that if Iran continued to retaliate, the U.S. military would respond with twenty times more force.
On that day, as Trump was on his way back from the NATO summit in Ankara, he told the media at the British Mildenhall Air Base: "We have just dealt a heavy blow to Iran. The force used was twenty times greater than what was needed. As long as they dare to attack us once, we will counter their attacks twenty times over. We did just that last night."
"They contacted us not long ago and were extremely eager to reach an agreement. I'm just unsure if they are worth negotiating with, and I dare not guarantee that they will comply with the agreement, which is the crucial issue." Trump said.
Previously, the United States imposed sanctions on Iran on the grounds of Iran’s attack on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and revoked the license that allowed Iran to sell crude oil to the global market.
On July 8th, local time, the U.S. Central Command stated that the latest wave of military operations by the U.S. has destroyed approximately 90 Iranian military targets, including air defense systems in coastal areas of Iran, coastal reconnaissance facilities, missile and drone storage sites, naval equipment, as well as military logistics infrastructure.
On the 8th, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard said that they attacked 85 important military facilities of the US military located in Salaman Port, the Bahrain headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, and the Al-Ali Salim Air Base in Kuwait. They also shot down a MQ-9 drone that attempted to intervene in the operation.
