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U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States would retaliate against Iran following missile and drone attacks on American forces in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
“We're going to hit them hard. There will be a response,” Trump told Fox News.
Trump said U.S. air defense systems intercepted most of the incoming fire.
He said one missile was identified as “not going to hit anything significant,” and U.S. forces allowed it to pass through the airspace.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said early Monday that it had struck the King Hussein and Azraq air bases in Jordan with ballistic missiles and targeted Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE with explosive drones.
The IRGC said the operation was retaliation for a U.S. strike on Larak Island on Sunday, which reportedly aimed to prevent the placement of sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transit point.
Trump also expressed skepticism about a diplomatic breakthrough, saying that while Tehran seeks a meeting, current U.S. sanctions are “kicking in strongly.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that continuing the war with the United States was not in his country’s interest, following the fresh military flare-up between the two countries.
“We continue to strive for a path of agreement and understanding, and we believe that continuing the war is neither in our interest nor in the interest of the region,” Pezeshkian said during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan.
“We believe that the solution to the existing problems is dialogue and cooperation, and all capacities must be used to prevent the spread of insecurity and conflict,” he added, according to a statement from the Iranian presidency.
His remarks came after U.S. forces attacked Iran’s Larak Island, marking the first exchange of fire in a month between Iran and the United States around the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran responded with strikes on bases in Jordan and the UAE that it said were used by the U.S. military.
The United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with senior military officials.
Iran retaliated with attacks across the region as the conflict spread.
An April cease-fire ended the most intense fighting, but sporadic attacks, mainly around the Strait of Hormuz, have dimmed prospects for a final peace agreement.
Washington has also recently intensified economic pressure on Tehran with a campaign it calls the “economic asphyxiation” of Iran.
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