President Trump paired an AI-generated tough-guy image with tough talk for Iran on Wednesday in a 4am Truth Social post. The message is a short one. "Iran can't get their act together," wrote Trump. "They don't know how to sign a nonnuclear deal. They better get smart soon!" It appears alongside an AI-generated image (see it here) that shows Trump in a suit and sunglasses and toting a machine gun; explosions pepper the landscape behind him. The line: "No more Mr. Nice Guy!" appears at the top.
The Hill reports the comments came a day after Trump claimed, without specifying a source, that Iran told his administration it is in a "state of collapse" and wants the US Navy to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway has been effectively shut for more than two weeks amid a US naval blockade, driving US gas prices north of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022. AAA says the average price ticked up five cents on Wednesday to $4.23. That's a 21-cent, or 5%, increase in the past week, reports CNN.
The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday night reported that Trump is reportedly telling aides to expect the blockade to be an extended one, "targeting the regime's coffers in a high-risk bid to compel a nuclear capitulation Tehran has long refused. ... He assessed that his other options—resume bombing or walk away from the conflict—carried more risk than maintaining the blockade, officials said."
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