President Trump [Reuters Yonhap News]

U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that he will hit Iran very hard in the coming week.

According to foreign media outlets including Reuters, President Trump made these remarks during a Fox News Radio interview broadcast on the 13th (local time). With the war now in its second week, it is interpreted that he is signaling a strategy to attempt to neutralize Iran's resistance capabilities through a series of offensives, rather than ending the war imminently.

Regarding escort support for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump responded, "We will do so if necessary," adding, "I hope the situation resolves very well, and we'll see what happens."

This reiterates the stance that the U.S. will not immediately commence escorting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, even as the Strait is virtually blocked, international oil prices continue to rise, and the U.S. has temporarily approved Russian crude oil sales, easing some sanctions.

On the timing of the war's end, he stated it would be in the near future, but added, "When I feel it, when I feel it deep in my gut."

Regarding Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, he said, "He is injured," but added, "I think he is probably alive in some form."

When asked if the Jones Act, which restricts transportation between U.S. ports to U.S. vessels, would be temporarily waived, President Trump said, "We will look into it, and everything will work out well."

The White House had previously stated in a release from spokesperson Karoline Leavitt that a temporary waiver of the Jones Act was under review. The waiver is reportedly being pursued for 30 days, focusing on energy products, to curb rising oil prices.

In the interview, President Trump stated that there are no operations underway to secure Iran's enriched uranium, adding, "We are not focusing on that, but we might at some point."

Leavitt's remarks at a White House briefing on the 10th, suggesting a focus on destroying ballistic missile capabilities rather than removing Iran's enriched uranium, had led to speculation that the Trump administration's military objectives against Iran might be scaling back.

President Trump, who had called for an uprising by the Iranian people for regime change immediately after the war began, showed a shift in his stance, saying an uprising would not be easy at this moment.

He commented, "I think it's a very big obstacle for those without weapons. A very big obstacle," and predicted, "It will happen, but probably not right now."

When asked in an interview that day if he was considering seizing Kharg Island, a key hub for Iran's oil exports, President Trump responded, "I can't answer questions like that. That's a silly question. It's just one of many things, and it's not at the top of the list," adding, "My mind could change in a matter of seconds."

President Trump suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin might be helping Iran a little, essentially acknowledging media reports that Russia is supporting Iran's counterattack against the U.S.

He then presented a logic that Russia might be supporting Iran because the U.S. is supporting Ukraine.

President Trump also stated that the U.S. does not need Ukraine's help in drone defense.

The interview was reportedly recorded the previous evening.