President Donald Trump has described the recent military strikes on Iran as a “love tap”, rejecting suggestions that it’s effectively a collapse of an active ceasefire. The comments follow a series of explosions and naval confrontations around the Strait of Hormuz, with Washington and Tehran issuing contradictory accounts of the violence.
Donald Trump drops ‘love tap’ comment amid US strikes on Iran
Donald Trump commented during a telephone conversation with ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott. “President Trump tells me in a phone call the retaliatory strikes against Iranian targets are just a ‘love tap.’ ‘It’s just a love tap’,” Scott reported on X. Asked whether the escalation meant the ceasefire had broken down, Trump responded: “No, no, the ceasefire is going. It’s in effect.”
The comments came shortly after reports of multiple explosions near the Iranian port cities of Qeshm and Bandar Abbas. Jennifer Griffin, Chief National Security Correspondent for Fox News, cited a senior US official confirming that the American military had carried out strikes on both locations. The official emphasized the restrained nature of the operation, telling her, “This is not a restarting of the war.”
Iranian authorities rejected this characterization outright. A spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters accused the United States of violating the ceasefire by attacking Iranian oil tankers entering the Strait of Hormuz. Further adding, “They carried out air attacks on civilian areas along the coasts of Bandar Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island.” Iran’s top joint military command also commented, “CENTCOM does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces.”
Trump himself confirmed the naval wreckage in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global energy supplies. Writing on his Truth Social platform, he stated, “Three World Class American Destroyers just transited, very successfully, out of the Strait of Hormuz, under fire. There was no damage done to the three Destroyers, but great damage done to the Iranian attackers.”
Amid the military activity, diplomatic negotiations are reportedly advancing.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
