'We're going to hit them hard': Trump threatens Iran as Tehran escalates shipping attacks

US President Donald Trump threatened further military action against Iran on Tuesday during a campaign rally in Wasilla, Alaska, where he was campaigning for Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.

"Wait and see what we do to Iran. We're going to hit them hard. Wait and see what we do to Iran, because we've had enough," Trump said.

The remarks followed a series of shifting statements about Washington's next steps against Tehran. Trump initially indicated on Wednesday that he would not launch further strikes before the November midterm elections, but appeared to leave the possibility open the following day, warning during an October 9 campaign rally in New York that he could "finish it off" if Iran failed to reach a deal.

During Tuesday's rally, Trump also claimed that Iran's nuclear facilities remained buried beneath "thousands of tons of rock" and that Tehran had been just two weeks away from developing a nuclear weapon, accusing his predecessor, former president Barack Obama, of failing to stop the program.

"They were the bullies of the Middle East, but they are the bullies of the Middle East no longer," Trump said, adding, "It's going to end very soon."

Trump's renewed threats come as Tehran reportedly seeks to increase pressure on Washington through attacks on maritime traffic and disruptions to global energy markets ahead of the US midterm elections.

Iran is deploying new tactics to target ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to keep oil prices high and influence the US midterm elections, two senior Iranian officials told Reuters.

Iran targets Strait of Hormuz shipping to pressure US ahead of midterms

Tehran has tried to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28. It has restricted passage through the waterway, which carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war, to gain leverage over Washington.

Its threats and attacks have severely curtailed traffic through the strait, driving up oil prices, though some oil has continued to transit.

The two officials declined to provide details of the new strategy, but one said Iran began using different offensive tactics against vessels it considered in violation of its restrictions about 10 days ago, adding that this led to more attacks on such ships.

Iran changes attack tactics to keep global oil prices high 

The strategy included a change in the type as well as the pace of attacks, with one goal being to influence the outcome of the US vote, they said.

"The aim is to frustrate efforts by the United States and its allies to bring down global oil prices," one of the two officials said.

The decision to adopt the new strategy had been taken at the highest levels of Iran’s leadership and was fully coordinated across the country’s ruling system, the officials said.