After “surprise” attack on US bases in Jordan, Trump vows to hit Iran “hard”: “We will defeat…” | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump has vowed strong retaliation after Iranian ballistic missiles attacked US forces in Jordan. “We’re going to beat the f*ck out of them.”
“We’re going to hit them hard. They’re going to get beat up,” Trump said, according to Fox News.
Trump said he watched footage of the missile interception, which showed US personnel monitoring incoming ballistic missiles in real time, transmitting their coordinates and intercepting each one before it could hit the base.
“Cancer in the World”
The interview also covered overnight strikes by the US and Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Iraqi Shiite militias. Fox News reported that Trump said the operation was carried out in coordination with the Iraqi government. He also called militias a “cancer of the world” and suggested further action against Iranian-backed proxy groups was still being considered.
Saudi Arabia has confirmed it has joined US forces in carrying out strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq. Meanwhile, several other Gulf countries played a more limited role by launching attacks on Iranian positions near the coastal city of Bandar Abbas.
“Surprise Attack on American Forces”
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran fired several ballistic missiles from its territory late Tuesday in what it described as an “attempted surprise attack” on U.S. forces deployed in the Middle East. According to the military, each incoming missile was successfully intercepted before it could hit its intended target.
In a post on X CENTCOM said: “Islamic Revolutionary Guard forces fired multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on US forces based in the Middle East.”
Although CENTCOM did not specify which facility was targeted, Axios, citing US officials, said the missiles were aimed at a US military base in Jordan.
The fighting came days after mediators said some progress had been made in talks to end the war, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
Although the two sides signed an interim deal in June, intense bombing resumed this month amid disagreements over how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway vital to the world’s energy supplies that Iran effectively closed off during the war.
The latest attacks underscored the challenges Trump faces in his efforts to end the conflict. Prolonged fighting has raised the price of fuel and other essential goods far beyond the region’s borders, while also making them increasingly unpopular with the American public.
Four US service members have been killed in the conflict in recent weeks. At the same time, the Pentagon sought additional funding from an increasingly skeptical Congress to cover the rising costs of the war.
(With input from agencies)
