US President Donald Trump has promised a major escalation against Iran following recent Iranian attacks on US military facilities in the Middle East.
President Trump made the threat Wednesday during an expletive-filled interview with Fox News reporter Trey Yingst.
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Yingst quoted President Trump, saying the president promised to “bring down the motherfuckers from among them.”
“We are going to attack them severely,” Yingst reported the president as saying. “They’re going to get hit.”
The report came a day after Iran announced it had attacked U.S. troops at a military base in Jordan, the latest salvo in the five-month conflict.
President Trump confirmed to reporters in the Oval Office his plans to retaliate in the wake of the attack.
“They know it’s coming. They’re asking us not to do it, but you know they tried to shoot at (us) last night,” Trump said. “So now it’s our turn. We’ll see if we can come to an agreement at some point. But we’re going to hit them very hard.”
The fighting threatens to derail the latest detente, although the United States paused its offensive for several days starting Saturday after 13 consecutive days of attacks.
The ceasefire, agreed last month as part of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Washington and the Iranian government, was lifted in early July.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) announced on Tuesday that it had targeted an air base and a U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) center in Jordan.
The Revolutionary Guards warned of further attacks in a statement. “As long as the threat to the Islamic Republic of Iran continues and as long as the U.S. military’s illegal and egregious actions against our interests persist, resistance will continue.”
Meanwhile, CENTCOM described the attack as an “attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East.”
All missiles were intercepted and “U.S. forces remain alert and at peak readiness,” Centcom added.
The attack occurred after three US soldiers were killed at an air base in Jordan on July 17.
As U.S. officials warn of dwindling supplies of air defense interceptors, experts say the killings confirm Iran’s ability to cause deadly damage to military facilities housing U.S. troops.
Despite U.S. military superiority, critics warn that Iran retains the ability to wage brutal asymmetric warfare. At least 18 American soldiers have been killed since the war began in February.
Trump-Netanyahu meeting
The latest Iranian attack began just hours after President Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has long been seen as influencing President Trump to take a more aggressive approach toward Iran.
Although the United States and Israel jointly launched a war against Iran on February 28, they disagree on whether and how to continue the conflict.
Israel has been pushing for a continuation of the war with the aim of regime change in Iran.
It also opposes any agreement that would allow Iran to continue its nuclear program, which Tehran has long maintained is for civilian purposes only.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has repeatedly called for a ceasefire that would allow it to view the conflict as a strategic victory. Trump himself has alternated between calling for diplomacy and threatening escalation during the war.
In April, hours before announcing a cease-fire agreement, he infamously vowed that “the entire civilization will perish tonight.”
Most recently, President Trump suggested seizing Iran’s Kharg Island, a key port for Iranian oil products, a prospect that would reassure U.S. forces on the ground.
It also threatened to attack Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility and civilian infrastructure such as bridges and power plants. International law experts and human rights groups say the attacks amount to war crimes.
War is unpopular in the US
Public opinion polls have repeatedly shown that U.S. support for the war is low.
On Wednesday, Quinnipiac University released a poll that found just 34 percent of U.S. voters support military action against Iran, the lowest percentage since the war began.
Even members of President Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement are questioning whether the benefits outweigh the costs, including the soaring fuel prices caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections in October, said on Tuesday that his meeting with President Trump was “great.”
The meeting was expected to be politically advantageous for Israeli leaders, who have shown voters that they have a unique ability to manage Israel’s relationship with the United States, a keystone of their relationship.
The Israeli prime minister said the talks were full of “partnership, mutual support and a common understanding of the common goal of ensuring that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons and other objectives.”
The White House responded more firmly, with a spokesperson calling the talks “positive and productive” in a post on social media platform X.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu also spoke with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who has long expressed staunch support for Israel due to his evangelical Christian faith.
“During an important meeting with US Army Secretary Pete Hegseth,” Prime Minister Netanyahu posted on X, along with a photo of the two of them.
The Pentagon did not immediately release a report on the meeting.
