WASHINGTON — President Trump is “prepared to unleash hell” on Iran if it won’t “come to a deal,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday — as thousands of US Marines arrive in the region for a possible mission to force the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
“If they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily and will continue to be, President Trump will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before,” Leavitt told reporters at the White House.
“President Trump does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash hell. Iran should not miscalculate again. Their last miscalculation cost them their senior leadership, their navy, their air force and their air defense system.”
Iranian officials reacted with hostility to a 15-point peace proposal transmitted via Pakistan Tuesday — issuing a counter-proposal demanding war reparations and an acknowledgment that Tehran is in charge of the crucial strait.
“Any violence beyond this point will be because the Iranian regime refused to understand they have already been defeated and refused to come to a deal,” Leavitt said.
The arrival of Marines near Iran’s shore opens the prospect of the first land missions for US troops since the war began on Feb. 28 — with heavy speculation that they may land along the strait or possibly seize Iran’s Kharg Island fuel loading site further into the Persian Gulf.
“Look, that’s a hypothetical question,” Leavitt said regarding possible ground operations. “It’s also a decision that would have to be made by the commander in chief, and I’m not going to get ahead of him.”
Trump is dramatically expanding the US troop presence near Iran — with roughly 7,000 Marines, sailors and Army parachutists en route to the Middle East.
The USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship capable of launching F-35B stealth fighter jets and helicopters, was spotted Monday at the Diego Garcia naval base south of Iran after arriving from East Asia. About 2,000 Marines and sailors are believed to be aboard the Tripoli and smaller support ships from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Another amphibious assault ship, the USS Boxer, and supporting vessels from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit are expected to arrive from San Diego in mid-April.
Roughly 2,000 soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, which specializes in parachute missions, also are en route and could arrive soon.
The repositioning comes after Trump assembled a vast amount of US air power for the initial assault, including at American bases in countries near Iran and as part of two aircraft carrier strike groups: the USS Abraham Lincoln-led group in the Arabian Sea and joining the USS Gerald R. Ford, now moored to Crete for repairs following a laundry fire.
Trump told The Post on the third day of the conflict that he has no “yips” about committing troops on the ground if they were “necessary.”
Leavitt said the White House has no “specific timeline” for reopening the strait, but that “it’s obviously something the administration is working towards as quickly as we can.”
Iran has closed the strait to most commercial vessels for nearly a month — prompting Trump to deploy additional US troops and naval assets to the region.
Leavitt noted that the administration has sought to ease the effects of the fuel bottleneck with various actions over the course of the war.
She also insisted that US-Iran talks “continue” and are “productive” — despite Tehran publicly rebuffing an American framework for peace.
“They have not. Talks continue,” Leavitt said in response to a question about whether conversations between Washington and Tehran have halted.
“They are productive, as the president said on Monday, and they continue to be.”
Officials also described US-Iran negotiations in Geneva as “productive” days before Trump launched Operation Epic Fury Feb. 28.
