U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Iran over the fire at a floating LNG facility in Egypt's Damietta Port. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he was aware of the incident and declared, "We will hit them very hard because it's our turn to strike."
The Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources had earlier announced that a fire broke out on a regasification vessel and a storage vessel at Damietta Port. While not providing details on the cause, the ministry reported that there were no casualties thanks to the emergency response.
Drone attack claim
British maritime security firm Ambrey, however, claimed that a drone attack targeted a U.S.-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged floating LNG storage facility. Egyptian official statements did not mention any attack.
Trump also stated in his remarks that an unnamed group claimed responsibility for the attack and apologized. He further said that Iran attempted to fire five rockets at American targets the previous night, but all were intercepted.
US presence in the region to continue
In response to a question about the U.S. military presence in the Middle East, Trump replied, "I don't see that, no, we're not pulling out." The U.S. president, who also expressed a desire to impose tariffs on Iran, has yet to receive a response from Tehran to his remarks.