US President Donald Trump announced he was briefed on a fire at a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the US would 'hit very hard' in response to a question about Iran's possible connection to the incident.
Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said in a written statement earlier the same day that a fire broke out on a regasification vessel and a storage ship at Damietta Port. The ministry did not provide details on the cause of the fire, but noted that emergency plans were activated and there were no casualties or injuries.
Drone attack claim
British maritime security firm Ambrey claimed that a drone attack targeted a floating LNG storage facility owned by a US company and flagged to the Marshall Islands at Damietta Port. Egyptian official statements, however, made no mention of any attack.
Trump said, 'I was briefed on the matter. This is a continuation of what we've seen before, but things will be handled.' Stressing that the US would respond 'very hard' to Iran, Trump added, 'We will hit them very hard because it's our turn to hit. And they know it's coming.'
Accusations against Iran
The US President noted that another group, which he did not name, claimed responsibility for the attack and immediately apologized. He also said that Iran attempted to fire five rocket rounds at American targets the previous night, all of which were intercepted.
Asked about the US military presence in the Middle East, Trump replied, 'I don't see that, no, we're not pulling out.' Trump also expressed a desire to impose tariffs on Iran, but there has been no response from Iran to his remarks yet.
