Srinagar, June 11 -- New Delhi - US President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to "assume total control" of Iran's oil and gas industries and warned that American forces would hit the country "VERY HARD TONIGHT", a dramatic escalation that came just days after he suggested a peace agreement with Tehran was within reach.

The remarks underscored the increasingly unpredictable nature of Washington's messaging on Iran, with Trump alternating between declarations that a deal is imminent and threats of intensified military action.

Trump said in a social media post that the US would hit Iran "VERY HARD TONIGHT" and would "assume total control" of Iran's oil and gas industries, including the key Kharg Island oil terminal, in the "not too dis...