Trump warns Iran of 'biggest attack' after fresh US strikes
US strikes IRGC targets near Strait of Hormuz; Trump warns of bigger attack if Iran retaliates; Iran vows crushing response.
The United States has launched fresh military strikes against Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, with President Donald Trump warning that any retaliation would bring an even larger attack.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the strikes were "large and powerful" and were carried out in response to Iran's alleged attempt to lay sea mines in the strategic waterway and missile attacks on a US military base in Jordan. He described the action as "very justified" and cautioned that if Iran retaliated, it would be hit "at a much harder and higher level."
Trump added that the "biggest attack of them all" was "waiting in the wings," warning that there would be "very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran" after it.
The US military confirmed that American forces began striking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets on Tuesday. US Central Command said the strikes followed attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and American service members in the region.
Iranian state media reported explosions at several locations, including Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, Jask, and Sirik. State television said a fishmeal factory on Qeshm Island and civilian infrastructure in Hormozgan province were hit, including a fishing pier and a tower belonging to Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization in Sirik.
Iran's Armed Forces General Staff and joint military command vowed retaliation, saying the country's armed forces would deliver "crushing and devastating blows" against the United States.
The strikes have escalated tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies normally pass. Oil prices, already up about 7% this week, extended gains, with crude rising more than 50% this year. US gasoline prices have climbed to an average of about $4.10 a gallon, up from $3.19 a year earlier.
The military action marks a shift from the Trump administration's earlier focus on economic pressure against Iran. The escalation comes as US stocks of advanced missile interceptors have reportedly been under pressure, and the conflict remains unpopular among many Americans.