President Donald Trump vowed to hit Iran very hard after American and Iranian forces traded direct strikes for the first time in a month. The renewed hostilities followed a U.S. strike on Larak Island targeting naval mine launchers, prompting retaliatory ballistic missile attacks on bases hosting U.S. troops in Jordan.
U.S. Strike on Larak Island
The six-month-old war in the Middle East flared up sharply at the start of the week, shattering weeks of relative calm and exposing the fragility of ongoing diplomatic efforts. The escalation began when the U.S. military carried out strikes on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz after observing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces preparing to deploy sea mines into the vital shipping lane. CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins confirmed the strike in a statement to TIME, adding that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines
into the strait. Last week, U.S. forces finished clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes. U.S. forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway,
Hawkins added.
Tehran moved quickly to retaliate against the operation. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps issued a statement soon after the U.S. strikes that was carried by Iranian state news agency IRNA, saying that Iran would respond to the attacks on Larak Island with punishment for the aggressor.
The IRGC later said in a statement early Monday local time that it had launched ballistic missiles at a U.S. air base in Jordan and warned that every shot will be met with more devastating responses,
IRNA reported. Jordan’s armed forces said they intercepted eight missiles that entered the country’s airspace early Monday morning. The Guard said the U.S. attack on Larak Island killed and wounded several Iranian soldiers, and that it responded with missile and drone attacks on the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases in Jordan, according to Iranian media reports. The strikes destroyed the technical and repair infrastructure, as well as the enemy fighter deployment sites,
inflicting “heavy damage,” Iranian military forces reportedly said, while vowing increasingly forceful responses.
Trump’s Escalating Rhetoric and Threats Against Iran’s Oil Hub
President Donald Trump
Responding to the overnight missile barrage, President Donald Trump issued sharp warnings on social media and in interviews, declaring the country a failed nation and calling for its leaders to face prosecution. Trump wrote in a social media post: “Iran is officially a Failed Nation. IT IS DEAD! They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, they have no currency, they are not paying their soldiers or police, Inflation is at 300%, and their leadership is in total disarray and incapable of properly representing the country.” He further accused Iran’s leadership of being willing to kill protesters, claiming that more than 100,000 people had died, and stated that those responsible must be tried for war crimes against humanity.
“We’re going to hit them hard,” Trump said, according to a Fox News reporter who spoke to him briefly. “There will be a response.”
President Donald Trump, via Fox News
While the U.S. president signaled impending military action, his Treasury secretary vowed to keep up a pressure campaign aimed at hobbling Tehran’s economy.
Military Interceptions and Regional Shockwaves in Jordan and the Gulf
Jordanian Armed Forces
Air defense systems scrambled across the region as the exchange unfolded. The U.S. president reportedly told Fox that U.S. air defense systems intercepted all but one of the missiles launched at the bases by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, and that the remaining missile was allowed to pass through after it was determined that it would not strike anything significant. Jordan’s armed forces confirmed intercepting eight missiles that entered the country’s airspace early Monday morning.
Divergent Diplomatic Stances and the Impasse Over the Strait of Hormuz
President Masoud Pezeshkian
Despite the renewed violence, regional leaders voiced differing views on the path forward. President Masoud Pezeshkian called for dialogue later on Monday, saying that more fighting with the US was not in his country’s interest.
The two adversaries remain locked at a fundamental impasse over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, with Iran keeping the strategic strait closed and the US persisting with a naval counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
