President Donald Trump vowed Monday that the United States would respond to Iranian strikes targeting U.S. military assets, escalating tensions after the two countries exchanged attacks beginning late Sunday.
“We’re going to hit them hard. There will be a response,” Trump told Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst.
Trump’s comments came after the president sharply criticized Iran in a Truth Social post Monday, calling the country a “failed nation” and attacking its military, economy and leadership.
“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,” Trump wrote.
The latest escalation began Sunday when the U.S. launched its first attack on Iran in more than a month, striking two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island.
A U.S. Central Command spokesperson said the strike occurred after American forces observed members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran retaliated early Monday by targeting U.S. military assets at bases in the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
The IRGC warned that additional attacks would bring further retaliation.
“Aggression and crimes will not solve the enemy’s desperation in attempting to weaken the Islamic Republic’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, and every attack will be met with even more devastating responses,” the IRGC said in a statement to Iran’s state-run Fars News Agency.
The renewed military confrontation also sent oil prices higher Monday as markets reacted to the possibility of further disruption in the region.
September futures for Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed 3.4% to $91.09 per barrel in early trading after falling sharply last week. West Texas Intermediate futures also gained 3.4%, reaching $86.22 per barrel.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a central point of concern in the confrontation, with the latest U.S. strike tied directly to alleged Iranian activity near the strategically important waterway.
