Trump vows hard hit after Iran attacks US forces in Jordan
Trump threatened escalation after Iran said it struck US targets in Jordan, putting a recent pause in fighting under fresh strain.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
President Donald Trump responded to the latest Trump Iran attacks by promising a tougher US response, after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted American military sites in Jordan. The remarks, reported by Fox News reporter Trey Yingst, raised the risk of another escalation after a short pause in US strikes.
Yingst said Trump told him on Wednesday that the United States would hit Iran hard and that Iran was “going to get a beating.” Yingst also quoted Trump using an expletive-filled threat about what the US would do to Iran.
What did Trump say about Iran?
According to Yingst, Trump said the United States would deliver a severe military response to Iran following the attack on US forces. The comments came one day after Iran said it had struck a US military base in Jordan, Al Jazeera reported.
The IRGC said on Tuesday that it targeted an airbase and a US Central Command center in Jordan. In a statement, the IRGC warned that attacks would continue as long as what it called threats and “illegal and vicious actions” by American forces continued.
CENTCOM described the Iranian operation as an attempted surprise attack on US forces in the Middle East. CENTCOM said all missiles were intercepted and that US troops remained on high alert.
The attack followed the deaths of three US soldiers at an airbase in Jordan on July 17, according to Al Jazeera. Experts cited by Al Jazeera said those deaths showed Iran’s ability to inflict lethal damage on sites where US troops are stationed, while US officials have warned that air-defense interceptor supplies are shrinking.
Why the latest attack could widen the war
The war between the United States, Israel and Iran began on February 28, according to Al Jazeera. At least 18 American soldiers have been killed since then, and critics cited by Al Jazeera have warned that Iran can sustain an asymmetrical war despite US military superiority.
Trump’s warning threatens to disrupt a recent easing in the fighting. Al Jazeera reported that the United States had paused strikes for several days starting Saturday after 13 consecutive days of attacks.
A ceasefire tied to a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran was reached last month but fell apart in early July, according to Al Jazeera. Trump has alternated between diplomatic efforts and threats of escalation during the conflict.
The Iranian attack also came hours after Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday. Netanyahu has long been seen as pressing Trump toward a more aggressive position on Iran, Al Jazeera reported.
The United States and Israel launched the war together, but Al Jazeera reported that they have differed over how to continue it. Israel has pushed to keep fighting with the goal of changing Iran’s government and has opposed any deal that would allow Tehran to continue its nuclear program, which Iran says is for civilian purposes.
Netanyahu, who faces elections in October, called his meeting with Trump “excellent” and said the two discussed a shared goal of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. A White House spokesperson described the meeting on X as “positive and productive.”
Al Jazeera reported that US public opinion polls have shown limited support for the war. Some members of Trump’s MAGA movement have also questioned the costs, including higher fuel prices linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.