United States President Donald Trump has threatened to hit Iran “hard” after the two countries exchanged fire for the first time in weeks, raising fresh concerns that the six-month-old conflict could escalate.
Trump issued the warning on Monday as his administration continued its economic pressure on Tehran, while Iran maintained its blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the United States sustained a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
“We’re going to hit them hard,” Trump told a Fox News reporter who briefly spoke with him. “There will be a response.”
The threat followed US strikes on Iran’s Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, which Tehran retaliated against with missile and drone attacks targeting US military positions in the Middle East.
Washington said the strikes on Larak were aimed at Iranian rocket launchers to prevent Tehran from planting mines in the key international shipping route.
Iranian state media reported that three people were killed and several others wounded in the attack.
The renewed exchange of fire has raised fears that the relative calm seen in recent weeks could give way to another major round of hostilities.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its ballistic missile attack on two US air bases in Jordan caused “heavy damage”.
Trump, however, said all the missiles fired at US forces had been intercepted except one, which he said was assessed not to pose a threat.
Jordan’s military said it intercepted eight missiles but did not identify their source.
Iran also said it targeted US personnel at an air base in the United Arab Emirates and shot down an American drone over the Strait of Hormuz.
The UAE said it intercepted a drone over its waters but dismissed claims that Al Minhad Air Base had been targeted as “baseless”.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards later said they had shot down another US drone over the Strait on Monday evening.
Iran’s armed forces central command also warned neighbouring countries against allowing the United States to use their territory to launch attacks on Iran.
The tension also affected commercial shipping after a tanker leaving the Strait of Hormuz reported being hit by three “unknown projectiles” off the northeastern coast of Oman.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said there were no casualties or known environmental damage from the incident.
Despite the renewed military confrontation, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for dialogue to end the conflict.
Speaking at a summit in Kyrgyzstan on Monday, Pezeshkian said Iran remained committed to finding a peaceful solution.
“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,” he said.
He added that “the solution to the existing problems is dialogue and cooperation.”
The call came as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remained stalled, with an earlier truce and memorandum of understanding having collapsed.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran wanted Washington to return to its previous commitments.
“The solution is completely clear and straightforward: the United States must return to its commitments,” Araghchi told Iranian state television.
“In that case, everything can be put back on the right track,” he added.
The latest exchange came after weeks of relative calm, during which the Trump administration shifted greater attention towards economic pressure on Tehran.
Trump had earlier described Iran as “a Failed Nation”, claiming that its military had been decimated, its finances were crumbling and its leadership was “in total disarray”.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also vowed that Washington would continue its pressure campaign.
“We are going to continue exerting pressure, and we’ve had very good discussions here already,” Bessent told reporters at a G20 meeting in North Carolina.
He said a turning point in the campaign could come “within weeks or months”.
Iran, meanwhile, has used its control over the Strait of Hormuz to exert economic pressure, disrupting a major global energy route.
Before the war, about one-fifth of the world’s oil passed through the waterway. The disruption has roiled global markets and pushed up oil prices, adding economic pressure in the United States ahead of closely fought midterm elections.
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the heart of the confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
Although traffic through the waterway remains severely restricted six months into the conflict, Trump has claimed that the US Navy has “total control” of the strait.
Washington also announced last week that it had completed the clearance of explosives from the waterway.
Iran, however, insists that it remains in control of the strategic sea lane.
The Revolutionary Guards said on Monday that an oil tanker caught fire near the strait after hitting two mines while attempting to use what it described as an “illegal route”.
The US military rejected the claim as “disinformation”, saying, “No ships have hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz.”
With the latest exchange of attacks threatening to deepen the crisis, the coming days could determine whether the United States and Iran return to the negotiating table or slide into another round of open conflict.
