ANKARA, Turkey — The US is prepared for resumed attacks on Iran to last days or even weeks should Tehran continue its strikes in the Strait of Hormuz and beyond, as President Trump is resolved not to let the “sick” regime go unchecked.
Trump’s restarted military campaign is being described internally by some administration officials as a “bitch slap” to the Islamic Republic — after Trump in May called airstrikes a “love tap” when Tehran previously attacked ships in the key waterway.
How long the bombing campaign lasts is based heavily on Iran’s response, sources told The Post. On his way back from the NATO summit in Turkey late Wednesday, Trump said he didn’t know if it would become full-scale war, but added, “we’d win it very quickly.”
The framing of the attacks as a “bitch slap” conveys the internal estimation by some administration officials that the onslaught will be painful but brief barring further escalation from Tehran.
“He still wants this thing to be over. But if Iran is shooting at ships, he’s not just gonna sit there and do nothing,” a source close to the White House told The Post.
A former White House official said that “Trump is not coordinating with anyone… he’s going with his gut.”
Trump threatened to rain down hell on the “scum” and “liars” in Iran Wednesday and referred to the regime leaders as “loco” and “sick.”
He said the war’s three-month cease-fire and the more recent memorandum of understanding are “over,” and threatened infrastructure attacks, a renewed blockade, and seizing Kharg Island.
Some senior officials were surprised by his fiery rhetoric, but “they are not frustrated because they agree with his new hard line,” the former White House official said.
“This is all Trump, exactly as he likes it. [It is] almost impossible to tell what his next move is until he makes the decision himself.”
Meanwhile, the latest military action has been dubbed “Operation Bitch Slap” by a cohort of Trump’s advisers.
The name is “colloquial,” unlike the name “Operation Epic Fury” for the broader war, sources said.
The term is being used in conversations and emails by senior Trump officials, three sources with direct knowledge told The Post.
Other sources noted that it’s not pervasive and said they were unaware of its use.
Several White House and Pentagon officials stressed that it was not an official operational name.
Trump has given himself significant room to maneuver by outlining a menu of options ranging from devastating sustained fighting to resumed negotiations by his team, including Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and first son-in-law Jared Kushner, “if they want.”
During the second night of renewed hostilities extending into Thursday morning, the US military expanded targets to include a rail bridge near the Turkmenistan border, severing a key transportation corridor to China and Russia, the Iranian Fars News Agency reported.
Iran said it responded Thursday by launching missiles and drones toward American military bases in four Middle Eastern countries: Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan. The countries reported intercepting incoming missiles.
The latest round of fighting began when Iran on Monday and Tuesday attacked three ships using a US-preferred shipping route along the Omani coast, rather than an Iranian route.
“We just hit them very hard, and I’d say we hit them 20-1. Every time they hit us, we’re going to hit them 20. We did a little something today. but it was really retribution for last night. They hit actually three boats, not two,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned from a stopover in the UK.
“We’ve already won militarily. They have very little left. And they want to make a deal so badly. They called a little while ago. They want to make a deal so badly. I just don’t know if they’re worthy… I don’t know that they’re going to honor the deal, that’s the problem.”
Trump said Iran had attacked ships “because they’re sort of crazy, to be honest with you. They’re sort of crazy. They’re a little bit out of control, but they want to make a deal, badly.”
Iran has given little public indication of conciliation. Mourners in the streets for the funeral of former leader Ali Khamenei have carried giant banners calling for the killing of Trump.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi complained Wednesday about the “derogatory language” used by Trump and insisted “Iranians… do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action.”
“Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you’ll get hit,” Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf blustered Thursday. “Don’t flail around pointlessly, or you’ll sink even deeper: the Strait of Hormuz will only open with ‘Iranian arrangements,’ not American threats.”
