Trump says Strait of Hormuz to open 'very soon,' warns Iran of 'very hard' response if talks fail

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen "very soon" as negotiations with Iran continue while warning Tehran that the United States would take strong military action if a deal is not reached.

"The Strait is going to be open very soon — or they're gonna hit very hard, and then the Strait is going to be open," he told Fox News.

Trump said he had previously been prepared to launch a major attack against Iran but agreed to negotiations after Iranian officials requested talks.

"We were going to a tremendous attack, the biggest since World War II, and they called me and said, very politely, 'Please, can we talk? Can we talk?'... I said, 'Yes, we can talk. Let's get it done. Finally, let's get it done,'" he added.

The president said Iran would face a severe response if it abandoned negotiations, reiterating that Tehran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.

"If they back out again, they're going to get hit really hard. They know that; they understand that. I have no choice. They can't have a nuclear weapon. It's very simple," he said.

Trump said US and Iranian officials were engaged in "very good discussions," though he acknowledged that Tehran has not publicly confirmed the progress.

"The only thing that matters is action, and they want to make a deal. We'll see what happens," he said. “If they don't make a deal, it's going to be too bad.”