President Donald Trump vowed a harsh response Wednesday after Iran launched a surprise missile attack on U.S. forces stationed in Jordan, declaring that the United States would "beat the fucking shit out of them."
Trump made the remarks during an interview with Fox News, signaling that the brief pause in military action against Iran may be over.
"We're going to beat the fucking shit out of them."
The president also said the United States would hit Iran "hard."
"They're going to get a beating."
The comments came after U.S. Central Command announced Tuesday night that Iran fired a series of ballistic missiles at a U.S. military base in Jordan. According to CENTCOM, all of the missiles were intercepted before they could reach the base.
The attack is the first publicly disclosed strike by Iran against U.S. forces since Trump ordered a pause in American military operations over the weekend. The president had halted the strikes in an effort to give diplomacy a chance.
On Monday, Trump told reporters that Iran had requested a meeting with U.S. officials, raising hopes that negotiations might be possible after weeks of escalating tensions.
Those hopes appear to have been short-lived.
Iran's missile attack came just hours after Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, where regional security and Iran were expected to be central topics of discussion.
Earlier this month, Trump considered launching a much broader military campaign against Iran. The idea drew support from defense hawks in Congress, but the president ultimately backed away after advisers warned that U.S. weapons stockpiles were being depleted and that a larger conflict could quickly spread across the Middle East.
Now, the administration is signaling that Iran's latest move will draw a response.
While the White House has not yet announced what that response will look like, Trump's comments leave little doubt that the diplomatic opening he sought just days ago has narrowed dramatically. After Iran's overnight missile attack, the focus has shifted back from negotiations to the possibility of renewed military action.
