Trump says we're 'blowing up the whole country' if Iran doesn't make deal in 48 hours

President Trump reiterated his calls for NATO allies to help patrol the Strait of Hormuz, telling Politico, “They gotta get guts and go in.”

“Just send your ships up there and enjoy it," the president told Politico in a phone interview after his evening address Wednesday.

Asked why he didn’t outright mention NATO in his address last night, Trump claimed he did so “indirectly.”

“Well, I did indirectly. I talked about the people that use the -- it wasn't a NATO speech, it was a Middle East speech, but I did indirectly. I talked about the Strait, they weren't there,” Trump said.

During his address Wednesday night, Trump repeated his claim that the U.S. doesn’t depend on oil from the Strait like other countries do, saying “we’re there to help our allies.”

Iran’s Mobarakeh Steel Company, the country’s largest steel producer and one of the biggest in the region, has been completely shut down following U.S.-Israeli strikes, the company’s public relations office said in a statement on Thursday.

All production lines have been halted due to “substantial damage and critical destruction” to key production units, the statement added, and all employees are asked to refrain from going to the complex until further notice.

At least one person was killed and 16 others were injured in the attack on the company, as its public relations office said in an earlier statement on Friday following the attacks.

The IRGC said it launched strikes on U.S. and Israeli industrial targets in the region in retaliation.

“We had warned that if Iranian industries were attacked again, we would destroy the Zionist regime and American industries located in the region,” the IRGC said in a statement.

The United Arab Emirates' Defense Ministry said on Thursday it intercepted another 19 ballistic missiles and 26 drones launched from Iran.

The ministry said UAE defenses have intercepted 457 ballistic missiles, 19 cruise missiles and 2,038 drones since the war began on Feb. 28.

Iran agreed to allow Philippines-flagged ships and energy sources destined for the country through the Strait of Hormuz, the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Thursday.

The decision was announced after a phone conversation between Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro and Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, the statement said.

"The Iranian foreign minister assured the secretary that Iran will allow the safe, unhindered and expeditious passage through the Strait of Hormuz of Philippine-flagged vessels, energy sources and all Filipino seafarers," the statement said.

"Given that the Philippines imports the majority of its energy requirements from the Middle East, these assurances from Iran will greatly facilitate the steady delivery of critical oil and fertilizer supplies to the Philippines," the statement said.

-ABC News Othon Leyva