Trump says US striking Iran near Hormuz, threatens far larger attack if Tehran retaliates

On Tuesday, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced that American forces were conducting “large and powerful” strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz. These strikes were in retaliation for an alleged Iranian attempt to deploy sea mines in the waterway and for missile fire at a U.S. military base in Jordan. Trump warned that if Iran retaliated, it would face a “much harder and higher level” response, suggesting a potentially devastating attack that would leave “very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” U.S. Central Command confirmed the operation, stating it targeted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps following attempts to attack commercial shipping and U.S. troops. Explosions were reported in several locations across southern Iran, and Iranian media reported a “decisive operation” against U.S. targets, with an IRGC spokesperson stating the U.S. “will regret its new attacks.”