Trump says Iran deal possible as US intensifies strikes

President Donald Trump said Monday that a deal to end the war with Iran remains possible, even as he announced intensified U.S. military strikes and the reimposition of a blockade on Iranian ports. The president's comments came amid a sharp escalation following Iran's weekend attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump stated that the United States would strike Iran hard on Monday and Tuesday, declaring there was not a damn thing Tehran could do about it. He said the military action was a response to Iran violating a fragile ceasefire by attacking a merchant ship last weekend, which he said had scrapped talks for a long-term peace deal. The president also posted on social media that the blockade against Iranian ships is back on, while all other countries are free to use the strait, and asserted the U.S. would now be reimbursed at a rate of 20 percent on all cargo shipped through the vital waterway, calling it a matter of fairness.

The current flare-up began on Saturday when Iran attacked a Cyprus-flagged merchant ship, according to U.S. officials. The United States responded with retaliatory strikes, hitting approximately 140 targets in Iran, including missile...